Retail News October 2019 by Retail News

Retail News OCTOBER 2019

Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Longest Established Grocery Magazine

Supporting Irish Produced Food Brands

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Retail News|October 2019|www.retailnews.ie|1

Contents News

Budgetary Concerns AT the time of going to press, Finance Minister, Paschal Donohoe TD, has just delivered a Budget focused on trying to mitigate some of the worst effects of Brexit, with €1.2 billion allocated for Brexit measures. Ibec CEO Danny McCoy said that the Government had “struck the right balance by focusing available resources on those measures which can help insulate the economy from external shocks by investing in critical infrastructure, preparing for Brexit, and improving supports for SMEs”. Food Drink Ireland’s Director, Paul Kelly, said that if the support measures were rolled out efficiently and effectively, they could underpin the resilience of the agri-food sector, help maintain its UK market position as well as its ongoing focus on product and market diversification. Thankfully, excise duties on alcohol were not increased, but less welcome was the 50c excise hike on tobacco, with Retailers Against Smuggling’s Benny Gilsenan arguing that “tax compliant small and medium sized retailers are once again penalised, while criminals and Airport Duty Frees reap the benefits”. Another area that could impact on retail store owners is the news that the rate of stamp duty for non-residential property transfers has increased from 6% to 7.5%. All in all, though, it’s pretty much the Budget most commentators expected, as we wait for Boris & Co. to deliver a workable deal. Sounds like a Beckett play? Kathleen Belton Editorial & Marketing Director

Retailers call on Government to ban Lottery bets in bookmakers.

Noel Keeley appointed as Musgrave CEO; Q Mark Awards presented.

BWG Foods announces major sustainability investment programme; Musgrave nominated for energy award.

Grocery growth remains steady; New head at Unilever Ireland.

CSNA hosts Skillnet seminar; Aldi bans non-detectable black plastic trays from its beef range; BIM launches certified fishmonger qualification.

Londis to sponsor Ireland’s Fittest Family; Vape Business Ireland welcomes product testing.

Kieran Rumley, Executive Director of Love Irish Food, discusses the evolution of the Irish grocery market, changing consumer preferences and how Love Irish Food continues to represent the interests of its members, as the organisation celebrates its 10th birthday.

Applegreen 18

Applegreen continues to go from strength to strength in the forecourt sector, agreeing powerful and profitable dealer partnerships with forecourt owners across the country.

Sustainability 20

BIM was one of 12 organisations named as Sustainable Development Goal champions, leading the way towards a sustainable future.

Ireland’s Longest Established Grocery Magazine

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Wine Correspondent: Jean Smullen

Graphics: Catherine Doyle

The Barry Group Annual Awards saw the presentation of the Costcutter and Carry Out Store of the Year Awards, as well as the top performing suppliers to the Group.

SuperValu Tidy Towns 32

The SuperValu Tidy Towns competition 2019, saw Glaslough, Co. Monaghan, named as Ireland’s Tidiest Town, in the 28th year that SuperValu has sponsored the competition.

Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition 34

Aaron Dodd reports from the 2019 Food & Drink Business Conference & Exhibition, where a range of seminars covered some of the biggest issues facing the industry today.

Stocked Festival

The inaugural Stocked Festival was a resounding success, which saw 1,000 happy festivalgoers raising €55,000 for the Irish Grocers Benevolent Fund.

Plastic Packaging 40

Lucozade Ribena Suntory Ireland has unveiled path to reach 100% sustainable plastic bottles within a decade.

Forecourt Focus 46

The opening of Circle K’s latest service station on the M6 at Athlone will create over 30 new jobs, as it caters for up to 20,000 motorists daily.

Supply Chain 48

The recent ECR Ireland Supply Chain and Product Availability Summit examined the challenges and opportunities facing supply chains in the months and years ahead.

Regulars & Reports

Retail News Chief News Reporter: Pavel Barter

The Retail News Interview 14

Barry Group Annual Awards

Email: ciara@tarapublications.ie Reproduction without written permission is strictly prohibited.

Industry News

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Retail Ireland:

Monthly Update

Drinks News

What’s New

Shelf Life

2|Retail News|October 2019|www.retailnews.ie

News

Retailers Call on Government to Ban Lottery Bets in Bookmakers IN February, 2019, a Dublin customer wandered into a Boylesports store and won €15,000 after placing a €2 bet on Lotto numbers. In July, someone in Donegal won €33,000 on the back of a €1 bet, after correctly picking four numbers in the EuroMillions draw. Lottery experience betting can be lucrative for gamblers, but it's a cash cow for bookmakers: an estimated 10% of turnover for their shops. Where does this leave retailers, whose 6% margin from each euro spent on National Lottery is a key part of their livelihoods? Out of pocket, suggest retail representatives, who are calling on Government to stop bookies from accepting bets on National Lottery outcomes, as part of the new Gaming and Lotteries Bill. National Lottery players contribute over €125,000 per day, or €45m annually, to over 5,800 retail agents, who in turn provide employment to 17,000 people all over Ireland. Lottery experiences are depleting this bottom line, claims Tara Buckley, RGDATA Director General: “About €10m in retail agent fees is being lost as a result of bookmaker betting on the Lottery. If you want to play the Lottery, you should play it with a registered retail agent. Let the bookies come up with other schemes to part you from your money.” Alongside the 6c retailer commission on each euro spent on National Lottery games, 57c is assigned to prizes, 9c to administration, tax and profits, and 28c goes to good causes. According to a National Lottery representative, the Lottery “contributes over €625,000 per day (€225m per year) to the Good Causes Fund, which in turn provides important funding to organisations such as the Arts Council, the GAA, The Children’s Grief Centre, The National Women’s Council of RGDATA Director General, Tara Ireland, the Wicklow Buckley. Mountain Rescue Service and thousands of others in towns and villages across Ireland. It is the purpose of the National Lottery to protect and responsibly grow this annual contribution on behalf of the people of Ireland.” In 2018, a report by Indecon Economic Consultants, commissioned by Premier Lotteries Ireland, owners of the National Lottery, suggested that substitute lottery products undermine the funding of good causes. According to the report, the franchise commands only 13% of the State's €5.6 billion betting and lottery market, due to rival games. This was refuted in a subsequent report, commissioned by Lottoland and myLotto24, in which economist Jim Power suggested that competition was healthy for the sector. The National Lottery prioritises player protection. It closes its website for play at night, has mandatory maximum spending limits, a dedicated independent regulator, and meets World Lottery Association player protection standards.

Bookmaker sales in Ireland are over six times that of the National Lottery, €5.2bn versus €800m in 2018, according to the Lottery spokesperson. “None of these sales, including those arising from the bookmakers’ lottery-like products, make any contribution to the Good Cause Fund, and the availability of those lottery-like products undoubtedly attracts some customers away from the low spend and highly regulated environment of the National Lottery, further diminishing the moneys available to the Good Causes Fund.” Sharon Byrne, Chair of the Irish Bookmakers' Association, told Retail News that lottery experience products have existed in bookmakers for 30 years. “It is an entirely different product to what the National Lottery offers,” she said. “We don't bet on the six numbers, which is the National Lottery's product. Our customers aren't forced to spend more money than they need to, in order to buy a ticket. They can spend five cent and upwards. They can bet on one number, two numbers, three, four or five numbers. This is clearly an attempt by a monopoly provider to grab another product.” Byrne said there has been no increase in sales of the product. “So I'm not sure where retailers are losing business. They need to look elsewhere. The Government's legislation wasn't to tackle the small money going through our shops, it was to tackle rival products online that offer the six numbers. It's chalk and cheese: entirely different.” The National Lottery spokesperson noted that lotteries in the UK and other jurisdictions are legally protected from having their draws “cannibalised” by bookmakers. Last July, a number of TDs attempted to amend the Gaming and Lotteries Bill, through an Oireachtas Justice Committee, to ban these lottery experiences. David Stanton TD, Minister of State, who has special responsibility for the development of reform of gambling legislation, suggested the proposed amendments could lead to further demands from National Lottery: “perhaps seeking to prohibit local lotteries that support sports clubs and community organisations”. In response, the National Lottery told Retail News: “We in no way wish to see any negative impact on the ability of clubs or community organisations to run lotteries, and would welcome any clarifying legislative amendment that may be necessary to ensure they are protected. We in no way oppose the

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News currently considered amendment to the Gaming and Lotteries Amendment Bill, which would increase the size of for-charity lottery prizes.” According to Buckley, banning lottery experiences in bookmakers “is something that could easily be ring-fenced. It wouldn't have an impact on local lotteries. The wording of the amendment can be clearly set, so it talks about people with bookmakers licences.” RGDATA has written to Stanton requesting clarification on the issue. If Stanton is not willing to amend the legislation, the retail organisation plans to take it to Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe TD, who has ultimate responsibility for the lottery. Bookmaker representatives made their submissions to Government earlier in the year. “We believe regulation for

our sector should be dealt with by the regulator under the Gambling Control Bill, not the Gaming and Lotteries Bill,” said Byrne. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice and Equality told Retail News that Stanton “has been made aware of the arguments, advanced by retailers through RGDATA, with regard to betting on the outcome of National Lottery weekly draws. He fully appreciates the concerns expressed by those retailers. The Minister has been in receipt of similar correspondence from the National Lottery in this matter.” The spokesperson referred us to the Minister's position during the Oireachtas debates on the Gaming and Lotteries Bill in July: “The Minister does not propose to prohibit betting on the outcome of National Lottery draws in the Bill.”

Noel Keeley Appointed as Musgrave CEO MUSGRAVE Group plc has announced that Noel Keeley, current Managing Director of Musgrave Wholesale Partners, has been appointed as CEO designate of Musgrave and is due to take up this position on January 1, 2020, following a handover period with current CEO, Chris Martin. This follows a recruitment process which began with the announcement earlier this year that Chris Martin would retire from the business. “We are delighted that Noel has accepted the position as Musgrave CEO,” revealed Musgrave Chairman Nicky Hartery. “He will bring his vast experience to bear as we build on our Growing Good Business strategy. Under Noel’s leadership, our wholesale and foodservice business has become the market leader across the island of Ireland and he has driven the growth of SuperValu and Centra in Northern Ireland. We would like to thank Chris Martin for his leadership over the past 15 years, having firmly established Musgrave as Ireland’s leading food retail, wholesale and foodservice company.”

Noel Keeley, Musgrave Group CEO Designate.

Q Mark Awards Presented THE much coveted 2019 Q Mark Awards are on display on the shelves and walls of the winning business premises throughout the country, following the annual awards ceremony in Dublin’s Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, recently. The winners were selected from a list of over 100 nominees by a team of 14 expert judges. Before that, EIQA audited thousands of businesses to ensure they met the highest standards to go forward to be considered for a Q Mark award. “It’s a very detailed process, but it’s absolutely worth it,'' says Irene Collins, MD of EIQA. “We see businesses around the country truly striving to hit the mark for a nomination. The feeling they get when the hard work pays off, coupled with the knowledge that the Q Mark is almost universally recognised by consumers, is a major lift for them.” Manor Farm were recognised for Excellence in Manufacturing, while also taking home the The Q Mark for Hygiene & Food Safety National Award. Retail winners included: Roche’s Mace, Shanagolden; Bagnall’s Spar, Parkwest; Heaphy’s Spar, Allenwood; Spar Express Castlerea; Broderick’s Spar, Croom, as well as SuperValu Finglas; Quish’s SuperValu, Ballincollig; Tobin’s Service Station, Letterkenny; and Donnellan’s Centra, Loughville. A number of retailers were also highly commended in the Hygiene & Food Safety category, including Wheeler’s Mace, Sandymount; Walsh’s Centra, Costello; and Leavy’s Centra, Clongriffin.

Pictured at The National Q Mark Awards are Mike Sutton of award sponsor Ishka; Liam Hillard of Manor Farm; Irene Collins, MD of EIQA; and Justin Carton, Manor Farm, which was awarded the National Q Mark for Hygiene & Food Safety.

4|Retail News|October 2019|www.retailnews.ie

News BWG Foods Announces Major Sustainability Investment Programme BWG Foods, one of Ireland’s leading wholesalers and retailers, has announced a major €11m sustainability investment programme aimed at significantly decreasing the environmental footprint of its large-scale nationwide supply chain. As part of the investment programme, BWG Foods has become the first FMCG group in the country to launch a fleet of CNG (compressed natural gas) vehicles, following an initial investment of more than €2m in 14 new trucks, along with supporting infrastructure. The Group, which has partnered with Gas Networks Ireland around the initiative, has plans to extend its investment in CNG vehicles by an additional €6m for a further 50 vehicles by 2025 as part of its wider supply chain sustainability programme. BWG Foods operates one of the largest delivery fleets in the country, with approximately 280 vehicles, which cover over 25m kilometres per year. The Group’s new vehicles, which use natural gas as the most environmentally friendly fossil fuel, are currently generating C02 savings of up to 22% per truck. Each of BWG Foods’ new trucks will complete approximately 120,000 kilometres over the next 12 months, with each truck saving 7.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions in the process. When biogas becomes available for use, BWG Foods projects that CO2 emissions from its new delivery fleet will decrease by approximately 90% compared with today’s levels. As part of its wider supply chain sustainability programme, BWG Foods is also implementing a number of operational efficiency projects that have already led to collective CO2 emission savings of 3,200 metric tonnes, including a re-routing programme which led to the reduction of more than 2.3m kilometres travelled annually, and the increasing of individual delivery vehicle capacity by 15%, further reducing the number of journeys required. €3m has also been invested in the rollout of LED and sensor lighting across the BWG Foods retail network, its nationwide Cash & Carry network and its 240,000 square feet National Distribution Centre facility in Kilcarbery, reducing its overall carbon footprint by more than 3,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and removing 6.5GWH (Gigawatt Hours) from the grid. BWG Foods has also recently partnered with renewable energy efficiency company Enerpower for the rollout of solar panels across its branded retail network, and EuroSpar Gortahork was the first site to go solar under this scheme last month.

Pictured at BWG Foods’ National Distribution Centre are (l-r): Willie O’Byrne, Managing Director, BWG Foods; Fianna Fáil Leader Micheál Martin TD; and Joanne Mellon, Logistics Director, BWG Foods. Commenting on the announcement at BWG Foods’ National Distribution Centre, which distributes over 25m outbound cases per year, Willie O’Byrne, Managing Director, BWG Foods said, “Our focus in BWG Foods is to create an environmentally sustainable business that makes a positive contribution to the communities in which we operate. Today’s announcement marks progress made and is a statement of our intent to substantially reduce the environmental impact of our expansive nationwide supply chain operation. This announcement complements a number of other sustainability initiatives that we have launched at store level, including energy, waste and plastic reduction programmes.” Speaking following a fact-finding walking tour of BWG Food’s National Distribution Centre, Fianna Fáil Leader Micheál Martin TD said, “It’s very encouraging to see a major business like BWG Foods take a leadership position across industry with this exciting investment programme which will significantly reduce the business’ environmental impact. I hope other companies will be encouraged by this decision and will take steps to follow suit by making meaningful changes that will help protect our environment in the fight against climate change.”

Musgrave Nominated for Energy Award MUSGRAVE has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland’s (SEAI) Energy Awards in the Energy Team of the Year Category. The nomination reflects the significant energy-efficiency milestones achieved by Musgrave’s Energy Team, reducing energy consumption and improving energy-efficiency in the Musgrave business and across its network of independent retailers. Additionally, the Energy Team has worked with 40 of Musgrave’s independent retailers across the country to fit environmentally friendly refrigeration systems, greatly reducing their energy consumption and plans to roll out solar panels to 30 SuperValu stores over the next two years. Also shortlisted for an award at the SEAI Energy Awards

in the Small and Medium Business – Exemplary Energy Management category is Riordan’s SuperValu, Fermoy, the first SuperValu store in Munster to install solar panels. “We look at sustainability differently from other businesses,” stated Daniel Murphy, Sustainability Manager, Musgrave. “For us, sustainability means living up to the core responsibilities that any good business should; to look after its people and customers, to minimise its impact on the environment. We have set ambitious annual energy and waste reduction targets and put renewable and alternative energy in place to cut our carbon footprint. We’re honoured to be shortlisted for the Energy Awards as our nominations illustrates our achievements to make our business more energy efficient.”

Dear Customer, I am sure that your consumers and staff are understandably concerned following the recent negative media reports, which have primarily come from the United States (US) and Canada, regarding a number of reported respiratory illnesses and deaths which have been linked to vaping. Firstly, from the US FDA's public statements, these tragic events appear to be a new phenomenon linked to liquids that were not sourced from reputable manufacturers and which contained ingredients, including THC and Vitamin E Acetate, which PJ Carroll do not use in any product that we develop and manufacture. We fully support the FDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s view that vapers should always source their devices and liquids from reputable manufacturers, should avoid modifying or adding substances to the products they purchase, and should only ever use the devices as the manufacturer intended. There is a fundamental difference in the way vaping products are regulated in Ireland versus in the US. The Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) which regulates vaping in Ireland, and indeed the rest of the European Union (EU), is extremely robust and is significantly more stringent than that which is enforced in the US. All products placed on the Irish market must be notified to the HSE six months prior to launch, which is not the case in the US. Similarly, there is significant restriction on the additives used in e-liquids here; no such restrictions are enforced in the US. We also must ensure strict product safety. All e-liquids must have child-resistant and tamper evident features, for example, or the HSE will not permit their sale in Ireland. Once again, no such regulation exists in the US. It is also important to remember that e-cigarettes are currently playing a very positive role in helping thousands of Irish smokers to quit. According to the most recent Healthy Ireland Survey in 2018, 41% of smokers who successfully quit in the previous year used an e-cigarette to do so. The Healthy Ireland Survey also clearly showed that there is no evidence of e-cigarettes being used by people who have never smoked, as less than 1% of 'never smokers' reported that they use e-cigarettes. We believe that the cases in the US and Canada demonstrate the need for robust and effective regulation which ensures high product standards, particularly with regard to the testing and reporting of the ingredients used in vaping liquids. The good news for Ireland is that, while we may not agree with every element of the TPD, we believe the e-cigarette elements are helping to protect Irish vapers and has prevented any such incidents occurring to any consumers here. If you have any questions about any of PJ Carrollâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vaping products, Vype, Cirro and 10Motives, please do not hesitate to contact your PJ Carroll representative.

Yours Faithfully,

Simon Carroll Country Manager PJ Carroll (BAT Ireland)

6|Retail News|October 2019|www.retailnews.ie

News Grocery Growth Holds Steady GROWTH in the Irish grocery market remained at 2.7% during the 12 weeks to September 8, 2019, as shoppers Total Take Home Grocery - Ireland Consumer Spend stocked up on September staples, according to the latest figures from 12 Weeks to 08/09/19 change** 12 Weeks to 09/09/18 %* %* % Kantar. “When summer draws to a close, Total Grocers 100.0% 100.0% 2.7 people return to their normal routines Total Multiples 88.7% 89.4% 3.6 and their shopping habits shift SuperValu 21.7% 21.4% 1.0 accordingly,” noted Charlotte Scott, Tesco 22.1% 21.4% -0.5 Consumer Insight Director at Kantar. Dunnes 21.6% 22.2% 5.8 “Children are back at school and Lidl 11.8% 11.9% 4.1 Aldi 11.6% 12.5% 11.4 parents needing easy breakfast and Other Outlets** 11.3% 10.6% -3.7 packed-lunch options have boosted sales of cereals, yogurts and bread by *= Percentage Share of Total Grocers 14%, 10% and 6% respectively during **= Includes stores such as M&S, Boots, Spar, Centra, Greengrocers, Butchers And Cross Border shops the past four weeks, compared with the month before.” to all retailers being in growth for the first time since June,” Scott also reveals that the belief amongst consumers Scott argued. that Christmas starts earlier and earlier each year could be Aldi increased its market share this period, posting growth well-founded: “With less than 100 days to go until the big day, of 11.4%. As well as attracting new shoppers, Aldi is another retailers have been ramping up their festive activity, with deals retailer successfully encouraging bigger shops. With each on seasonal chocolates, including advent calendars. Sales of customer now picking up 19.7 items each visit, Aldi is clipping chocolate boxes and gifts were 65% higher than the previous at the heels of Dunnes where the average is 20, the highest in four weeks as people took the opportunity to get a head start on the market. their shopping.” Dunnes achieved the second fastest growth during the Competition in the Irish grocery sector is intense, with past 12 weeks at 5.8%. “Dunnes attracted an additional 38,000 SuperValu and Tesco neck-and-neck with 21.4% market share shoppers compared with this time last year,” Scott noted. “If this month. “SuperValu has returned to growth following two there was one negative in Dunnes’ report card, it would be that periods of negative growth and these 12 weeks represent customers are visiting its stores less often, but that decline its slowest share decline since September 2018,” revealed remains marginal at 0.3%.” Charlotte Scott. “Following a similar trend to the overall While Lidl’s growth slowed to 4.1%, it remains ahead of the market, its shoppers have been making fewer, larger shops and market and has increased its share from 11.8% to 11.9%. The taking home nearly one more item on average per trip. retailer also performed well in some standout categories in the Meanwhile, Tesco’s sales decline softened to 0.5% as past 12 weeks; sales of frozen desserts were up 24%, despite volume sales moved into growth, up 0.9% compared with last declining by 4% in the wider market, and bread sales increased year. “It might be too soon to call these improved performances by 17%, compared with 2% across total grocery. from Tesco and SuperValu a fightback, but it will be welcome Grocery market inflation stands at 2.5% for the 12-week news given the recent success of Dunnes, Aldi and Lidl. period ending September 8, 2019. Looking ahead to next month, it’s likely that this will contribute

New Head at Unilever Ireland EMILY Pittman has been appointed Vice President and General Manager for Unilever Ireland. Based at the company’s head office in Citywest, Dublin, Emily takes responsibility for growing Unilever’s business in Ireland, working in partnership with the manufacturer’s retail and wholesale customers. She will lead the Irish sales and marketing team and report to Sebastian Munden, Unilever’s EVP and General Manager for the UK and Ireland. Emily joined Unilever in 2017 as part of the UK and Ireland executive leadership team, with responsibilities for revenue growth and strategic development. “The many similarities between Ireland and my native New Zealand, particularly our shared love of rugby, makes moving to Ireland feel like coming home,” Pittman noted. “I’m really looking forward to getting to know our customers, as well as my talented Irish colleagues. I’m excited to get started and build on the success that has already been established with some of the nation’s most loved brands at one of Ireland’s largest FMCG companies. I have a strong passion for women in business and I hope I can create an example for how women can lead and be people-first, authentic leaders.” Prior to joining Unilever, Emily held senior strategy and revenue growth roles at Coca-Cola UK and Ireland and has several years’ experience working for FMCG consultancies.

Emily Pittman, Vice President and General Manager, Unilever Ireland.

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8|Retail News|October 2019|www.retailnews.ie

News CSNA Hosts Skillnet Seminar for Retailers CSNA Skillnet recently held a topical seminar in Dublin to officially launch their new training network for the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association (CSNA). The retail-focused event covered a wide range of topics, including insurance, security, health and safety, human resources and valuation, rates and rent. The many business owners and managers in attendance enjoyed a series of fast-paced presentations that offered profitable retail training solutions in each area.

Pictured are (l-r): Nikki Murran, Excel Recruitment; Vincent Jennings, CEO, CSNA; Gerry Monks, JDM Insurance; Gary Lynch, Safety Solutions; Victoria Bolger, CSNA Skillnet; Maurice Hickey, Pro-Secure Training; Cillian Byrnes, Valuations Office; and Mary Glennon, The Glennon Group. JDM Insurance, Pro-Secure, Safety Solutions, Excel Recruitment and the Valuations Office all had representatives delivering expert advice and solutions in their chosen field. Dublin Spar retailer Mary Glennon of The Glennon Group also spoke about her personal and professional development journey. “The CSNA Skillnet will drive greater levels of productivity, innovation and customer excellence within Ireland’s

Aldi Bans Nondetectable Black Plastic Trays from its Beef Range ALDI Ireland has become the first supermarket in Ireland to ban the use of non-detectable black plastic trays from its fresh beef range. New 100% recyclable packaging trays have been introduced across its entire range, saving over 6.5m singleuse units of non-recyclable waste annually. Over the past 18 months, Aldi has been working with its beef suppliers, ABP and Dawn Meats, to introduce the new 100% recyclable packaging trays. The redesign impacts 17 different beef lines, including Aldi’s premium Specially Selected range. “We are working to reduce the use of unnecessary and hard to recycle plastic packaging across our own-label ranges,” explained John Curtin, Aldi Group Buying Director. “To be the first supermarket in Ireland to remove black plastic trays from its beef products is another positive step towards achieving our long-term goal of removing all black plastic from our own-label products by the end of 2020.”

convenience stores and newspaper retailing sector,” noted Dave Flynn, Executive Director at Skillnet Ireland. “As businesses seek to address pressing challenges and new opportunities, it’s essential to ensure that people have the right skills for the business to grow and thrive.” Insurance insights from Gerry Monks highlighted the simplest way to protect your business from slips and trips claims is to have simple ‘wipe your feet’ signs clearly visible, in line with the CCTV footage, to show that customers were advised to take care in your premises. Safety Solutions representative, Gary Lynch explained that the number one injury-causing activity in the workplace is manual handling. Maurice Hickey from Pro-Secure Training estimated the cost of a wrongful accusation is €36,500 per incident when you combine the claim cost, private investigator fees, barrister professional costs and expenses etc. Cillian Byrnes of the Valuations Office took questions from the many retailers in attendance, mainly around the appeals process, considering many revaluation notices were received by CSNA members in recent days. Nikki Murren of Excel Recruitment gave a really interesting presentation on how to recruit and retain retail staff. Vincent Jennings, CEO of the CSNA, expressed his delight at how the event went: “The speakers were excellent. Essentially, we have all been treated to a showcase of CSNA Skillnet, the types of courses we offer our members and the value that this retail-focused training can offer their businesses. The seminar format was a very appropriate way to officially launch CSNA Skillnet and we are definitely looking forward to rolling out a wide variety of courses to the retail community over the coming months.”

BIM Launch Certified Fishmonger Qualification IRELAND’S first accredited fishmonger qualification was officially launched recently in Howth, Co Dublin. Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland’s seafood development agency, has developed the Certificate in Fishmonger Skills, accredited by nationally and internationally recognised Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). Ian Mannix, BIM, described how the aim of the training is to retain and attract talent into the industry: “This new programme will provide solid, fully certified training to anyone working in seafood retailing; practical Hal Dawson, Master Fishmonger, skills they can then apply in the one of the trainers on the new industry. Moreover, improved programme, and Laura Desmond, skills in the workplace will National Sales Manager, Oceanpath, ultimately lead to better sales are pictured at the launch of and better retention of staff.” Ireland’s first certified fishmonger The new training combines qualification. practical and classroom learning and includes modules on seafood labelling, nutrition and food safety. The programme also includes hands-on demonstrations in fish filleting and culinary skills and is aimed at existing staff in seafood retailing or those interested in pursuing a career in the industry.

Retail News|October 2019|www.retailnews.ie|9

News Londis to Sponsor Ireland’s Fittest Family LONDIS is the proud new sponsor of hit RTE TV show, Ireland’s Fittest Family. Londis’ €500,000 marketing campaign for the series will incorporate an overall investment in health and well-being in local communities. Entering its seventh season, the hugely popular show features star presenter Mairead Ronan and fitness coaches, Derval O’Rourke, Davy Fitzgerald, Anna Geary and Donncha O’Callaghan, and will once again be putting Ireland’s fittest, fastest and strongest families to the test in what is Ireland’s most extreme fitness programme. “We are delighted to sponsor RTE’s Ireland’s Fittest Family, a show which encapsulates many of the family and healthy living values that we at Londis are committed to,” noted Suzanne Weldon, Marketing and Communications Director, BWG Foods. “This is a family focused show and Londis is a family centric retail brand that operates at the heart of the community. We're also hugely passionate about supporting healthier diets in our communities and are excited about using this sponsorship to promote and encourage healthy eating options with our customers across the country.”

Pictured at the launch are Davy Fitzgerald, along with Mairead Ronan, Derval O’Rourke, Anna Geary, and BWG’s Marketing & Communications Director, Suzanne Weldon, and Gillian Rigley, Londis Marketing Manager.

Vape Business Ireland Welcomes Product Testing VAPE Business Ireland (VBI), Ireland’s largest vaping trade association, has welcomed the news that, on behalf of the HSE, the State Laboratory is seeking information to begin testing vaping products to ensure they meet regulation standards. VBI have long been calling for further research in Ireland and believe this is the right step to ensure that policymakers and consumers can be confident that vaping products are of a high regulatory standard. In relation to the recent cases in the US, while the full details remain unclear, it appears that the incidents are linked to people using illegal liquids, most likely black-market marijuana products (THC oils). EU regulations are much tighter than in the US and no similar cases have been reported in the UK or Ireland.

Save up to 30% on your card payments with PostPoint Whether you’re starting out in business or looking to switch provider, PostPoint can help you take secure credit and debit card payments in person or over the phone. In switching to PostPoint, some of our retailers have saved up to 30% on their Card Payment charges. PostPoint is part of An Post, so you can trust that your payments will be processed safely, securely, and effectively. Our new Portable Verifone Terminal is one of the most reliable and robust systems on the market. However, if your system does become damaged it will be repaired or replaced by one of An Post’s 16 nationwide engineers the next working day after the fault is reported. PostPoint offer a range of different card payment bundles and contract lengths, including 6 and 12 month contracts. If you decide to leave after your contract expires we won’t charge you any exit fees. Our pricing is completely clear and transparent. We detail exactly what you pay on each transaction, including interchange charges and scheme fees. To find out more call us on 1890 20 42 20 or request a free quote on our website at http://www. postpoint.ie/card-payments/

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Industry News Limited Edition Flavours from Tayto TAYTO has launched its two new limited edition flavours. Mr. Tayto is known to have his finger on the pulse and since the popular launch of Tayto Spice Bag flavour, he has been busy in the kitchen, developing more delicious Irishinspired flavours! This time the new flavours are all about Irish favourite takeaways! Tayto Hot Wings Flavour is ideal for the spicy chicken wing lovers looking for full-on flavour, and Tayto Curry Chip Flavour is fuss-free proper Curry Sauce like the guy in the chipper does it. To celebrate the launch, Tayto has teamed up with online comedians and content creators, Tadhg Fleming, Fionnuala Jay and Giz A Laugh’s Enya Martin. Keep an eye on their social media channels to see their take on the new limited edition flavours!

Danone Dairy Ireland Receives B Corp Certification DANONE Dairy Ireland has achieved B Corp Certification, a mark of trust that recognises its ambition to act beyond profit and put purpose at the heart of its business strategy. It is the first FMCG company to be certified in Ireland, and the second company in Ireland overall, to become a certified B Corporation - a major achievement at a time when businesses are increasingly expected to take a stand on and respond to key issues facing society. Danone Dairy Ireland joins other Danone entities across Europe, North America, Asia, North Africa and South America who have already received the certification. Pictured at the announcement of the certification was Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD, with Head of Danone Dairy Ireland, James Bruce.

Gala Search is on for Ireland's Most Inspirational People GALA Retail has joined forces with the Sunday Independent to launch the first-ever Sunday Independent / Gala Retail Inspiration Awards, searching for Ireland’s unsung heroes; those individuals who make Ireland a better place with their selfless acts and inspirational deeds. With six categories covering young people, sports, caring, environmental change, charity and community, the awards will be judged by an esteemed panel, including Sunday Independent columnist and Health & Wellness Coach, Alison Canavan. From the six category winners, an overall Inspirational Person of the Year will be crowned at the Gala awards evening, which is taking place in The Marker Hotel, Dublin, on November 20. Pictured are: Sunday Independent columnist and Health & Wellness Coach, Alison Canavan; Gary Desmond, CEO Gala Retail; and Cormac Bourke, Editor, Sunday Independent.

O’Donnells Sponsor The Restaurant on TV O’DONNELLS hand cooked crisps are the official sponsor for Virgin Media’s brand-new series of The Restaurant, which began broadcasting on September 12, with six brand new celebrities putting on the Head Chef uniform and taking on the challenge to create a menu to impress Marco Pierre White and Rachel Allen. In each show, O’Donnells Top Table brings together four diners who have never met before, which should make for very interesting viewing! For fans of the show, O’Donnells will share exclusive content after each episode on O’Donnells Facebook page of how Marco and Rachel scored each course and got to their star rating! Celebrity chef and Restaurant judge, Rachel Allen, is pictured with Kate and Ed O’Donnell.

Coca-Cola Employees’ Grá for Trá MORE than 150 Coca-Cola employees took time out of their busy work schedules recently to help clean-up Ireland’s coastline, part of the company’s ongoing strategy to achieve a world without waste. Together, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (HBC) and the Coca-Cola Company employ 1,600 people in Dublin, Ballina, Wexford, Drogheda, Lisburn, Cork and Tuam, and employees from all locations took part in six beach cleans across the island to help remove marine litter from Ireland’s coastline. An outstanding 213 bags and an estimated 1.5 tonnes of litter were removed from the coast over the course of the day thanks to the trojan effort of volunteers. Pictured are Matthieu Seguin, General Manager, Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland; with CocaCola employees, Claire Hamill, Dundalk, and Eva-Jayne Doherty, Armagh.

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Industry News SuperValu Strengthens Commitment to Autism Friendly Communities SUPERVALU has announced an additional 11 towns on the journey to becoming autism-friendly, continuing to advance its national campaign in partnership with AsIAm, Ireland's national autism charity and advocacy organisation. The towns include Clane, Bray, Greystones, Wicklow Town, New Ross, Skerries, Lucan, Castlebar, Mallow, Listowel and Tralee. A survey conducted by AsIAm showed that presently, the autism community does not find society accessible, understanding and inclusive - but that simple steps could be taken to help change this. For example, 50% of respondents said that even if staff were understanding of autism it would greatly improve their experience. Pictured in SuperValu Clane are (l-r): Fred Cullen, Clane, Co. Kildare; Adam Harris, Founder and CEO, AsIAm; Martin Kelleher, Managing Director, SuperValu; and Alan Condron, owner, SuperValu Clane.

Tipperary School is Top of the Class SCOIL Lua Naofa in Tipperary has become top of the class for battery recycling, as part of the WEEE Pledge battery recycling programme. Students and teachers from the school collected the equivalent of over 9,600 AA batteries, placing them on top of the leaderboard nationwide. The WEEE Pledge programme now encompasses a network of more than 2,500 schools, who collectively diverted from landfill the equivalent of almost 1 million AA batteries in 2018. The nation’s favourite redhead, and WEEE Ireland recycling ambassador, Bosco, is pictured entertaining children at Scoil Lua Naofa.

TrakRap Wins Sustainability Award SECONDARY packaging company TrakRap has won the prestigious EcoPack Challenge after successfully showcasing its low carbon aerosol packaging solution during a Dragons’ Den style pitch. Designed for use by FMCG manufacturers supplying supermarkets and retailers, the aerosol pack impressed judges with its ability to reduce packaging waste and improve industry safety by eliminating the use of heat from the packaging process, eradicating the risk of explosion which is present when using high temperatures to shrink-wrap plastic around highly inflammable aerosol cannisters. The removal of heat also makes the pack suitable for use with fresh and frozen foods. TrakRap will now have the opportunity to work with multinational retailer Marks and Spencer, who sponsored the Challenge. Simon Burrow, TrakRap’s Commercial Director (centre), is pictured collecting the EcoPack Challenge 2019 award from Martin Kersh, Foodservice Packaging Association; Jane Bevis, OPRL; Laura Fernandez, M&S; and Paul Jenkins, The PackHub.

Glenilen Farm Partners with Alone GLENILEN Farm, a family-run dairy owned and managed by husband and wife duo, Alan and Valerie Kingston, in Drimoleague, Co. Cork, has partnered with Alone, the charity which supports older people to age at home, in a series of online videos which encourage younger people to ‘Ask a Few Simple Questions’ to older members of their communities. The videos depicts Julie Galvin, aged 6, from Mallow, Co. Cork, meeting with and chatting to some of the older members of the West Cork community, and asking them a few simple questions about what their life was like growing up in rural Ireland. Julie is pictured with 95-year-old Betty Levis, from Durrus in Co. Cork, who used to milk cows by hand on Ilen Farm in the 1930s.

Spar Partners with Athletics Ireland SPAR has become the Official Convenience Retail Partner of Athletics Ireland. As part of this partnership, Spar will support a number of different Athletics Ireland initiatives including the Daily Mile, Spar Fit4Class and Spar Cross Country Xperience. The Daily Mile is a primary school programme which sees children run or jog at their own pace for 15 minutes every day, making them fitter, healthier, and more able to concentrate in the classroom. To help grow and support The Daily Mile, Spar has introduced The Spar Daily Chat to the programme, where the conversational wheel will allow students and their teacher to explore and discuss a range of topics in the class each day. On hand to help launch the Daily Mile, a Spar supported initiative, at Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál, Inchicore, were Irish international athletes and Spar ambassadors Rhasidat Adeleke and Mark English, along with Spar Sales Director, Colin Donnelly, and CEO of Athletics Ireland, Hamish Adams.

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Industry News 20 Years of Telly Bingo

MORE than €230m has been paid out to over 28m winners on the Telly Bingo TV Gameshow over the last two decades, according to figures released by the National Lottery to mark the 20th anniversary of the first ever Telly Bingo show on RTÉ, which aired on September 21, 1999. Telly Bingo, which has been one of the National Lottery’s most iconic and much-loved games for the past two decades, has helped launch the careers of a number of top TV personalities including Mrs Brown (aka Brendan O’Carroll) and Liz Bonnin. The current Telly Bingo presenter, Declan Buckley, who has fronted the popular show since 2001, when he made his TV debut on the show as his alter ego Shirley Templebar, is pictured with fellow presenter Nuala Carey.

CBE Creates 20 New Jobs CLAREMORRIS based retail technology company, CBE, has created 20 new jobs to cater for their continued growth both in Ireland and Internationally. “In spite of the Brexit risk, our UK business is our fastest growing division and next month we will be moving to a much larger UK head office and operations hub based in Derby, to cater for this growth,” explains Sean Kenna, CEO. “Our international business outside of the UK also continues to grow. We now have a presence in 12 countries, including the USA, Canada, Denmark, Spain, Algeria and Bahrain, all of which we remotely support from our Head Office in Claremorris.” CBE’s new staff are highly skilled graduates and will be involved in many facets of the business, including software development, project management, marketing, sales and administration.

Diet Coke Launches New Campaign WILD Youth singer Conor O’Donohoe is pictured with Vogue Williams and Davina Devine at the launch of Diet Coke - You Do You, a light-hearted and refreshing campaign that champions the love of mainstream everyday moments and language. Whatever your mood, Diet Coke has got you covered with the new range of eight limited-edition cans offering a choice of playful phrases to express everyday emotions and moments, now available across the island of Ireland.

Keelings Presents €10k to Primary School TO celebrate Keelings Berry Breakfast Time, in partnership with the Ian Dempsey Breakfast show on Today FM, Keelings gave away €10,000 to to John Corcoran, a fifth class student at Bishop Foley’s Memorial school, Co. Carlow. John’s entry was picked out of hundreds of entries received by Keelings and Today FM. John outlined how the school secretary, Vera, has the very important (& busy) job of mending cuts and scratches obtained from running across the hard tarmac and therefore, the school needed an astro pitch to save knees, elbows, and Vera’s time! Ian Dempsey is pictured with Joseph Custerson and John Corcoran, pupils of Bishop Foley Memorial school, enjoying a morning of berry-filled fun, with the Ian Dempsey Show broadcasting live from the school.

Gala Recognised for Excellence in CSR

GALA Retail has scooped one of the most prestigious awards in Ireland at the Chambers Ireland Corporate Social Responsibility Awards for its partnership with Special Olympics Ireland. Receiving the overall award for Excellence in Community for Partnership with a Charity - LIC, Gala was recognised for its five-year year platinum partnership with Special Olympics Ireland, which supports 8,000 Irish athletes in Special Olympics clubs, helping them to train, compete and grow. “Winning such a prestigious award is incredible for the Gala Group, and it’s a testament to the efforts of our wholesalers and stores for really engaging with this sponsorship. Without such a brilliant partner, this award wouldn’t be possible and so much of this success is down to the exceptional support of the team from Special Olympics Ireland,” said Gary Desmond, CEO of Gala Retail. Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, is pictured with Tony Cluskey, Marketing & Ambient Trading Manager with Gala Retail, and Seán Canney TD, Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, at the awards ceremony.

SMOKING KILLS Irish Government Warning

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The Retail News Interview

Answering Ireland’s Call Retail News talks to Kieran Rumley, Executive Director of Love Irish Food as the organisation celebrates its 10th birthday.

THE Irish grocery market in 2019 is a far cry from that of 2011, when Kieran Rumley left his position as Marketing Director of Batchelors to take up the cause of domestic Irish food and drink brands and to helm Love Irish Food, then in its infancy, having been formed just two years previously. With Ireland in the midst of deep recession, brands were struggling to survive, particularly as Irish consumers travelled across the Border in droves, with Kantar estimating that cross-border trade was costing the Irish economy up to €1 billion per annum. Initially Love Irish Food had around 20 members, all food and drink brands (no private label) produced in the Republic of Ireland. The role of the then fledgling organisation was to get the message across to “anybody carrying a basket or pushing a trolley up a supermarket aisle, to make them aware of what brands were produced in the Republic of Ireland.” At that time, Rumley notes, there were some brands that “suggested Irishness” that were not produced here – many of these “may have been made in Ireland in the past but weren’t any more, in categories like sugar, ice cream, tea, biscuits”. Love Irish Food engaged in a comprehensive education campaign, informing consumers on which brands were produced here in Ireland, as well as the Love Irish Food brand itself and what it stood for. Their endeavour has worked, with the latest survey, carried out by Behaviour & Attitudes in January 2019, revealing that Love Irish Food now enjoys 85% brand awareness. In 2009, however, we were in the midst of a deep recession.

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The Retail News Interview Unemployment was hitting levels around 15% and consumers were worried for their jobs, their homes and their futures. Rumley, however, explains that there were primarily two consumer types who embraced the Love Irish Food ethos from the very beginning: “The consumer groups who were most amenable to Love Irish Food were the ‘empty nesters’, those 50-plus with less overheads, less mortgage etc, and, surprisingly, the 20-30-year-olds. The latter category would previously have moved out of home but they were now living at home, with jobs and without the kind of rents they would have had previously. In 200910, the restaurants, pubs and clubs were kept going by that same group, who had disposable income. They are the ones going to farmers’ markets, and they are a strong group of positive influencers for the future.” A Decade of Change The grocery market has changed considerably over the last decade, as Ireland moved back to growth, with unemployment levels now below 5%. How has the role of Love Irish Food evolved alongside the changing economy and the evolution of the grocery market? “If you go back to the period when Love Irish Food was established, there were very different trends in shopping,” Rumley muses. “In Britain, grocery shopping was driven by an ‘everyday low price’ agenda, primarily via Asda, whereas in Ireland, there was very much a high-low market, with premium brands see-sawing from high price to deep cut promotion and private label products focused only on low cost pricing. Now we see the depth of the difference between high (premium) and low (value) has narrowed for brands and has become more focused on an everyday low price, with private label operating across both price categories. Ireland has become much more competitive. If you do a cross-border price check now, relative to a decade ago, the price difference is not at all what it was back then.” The Love Irish Food boss also maintains that retailers have become far more clever in “how they promote their proposition to consumers”. The last 10 years has also seen the massive and continued growth of Aldi and Lidl in Ireland. However, part of that success has been down to the fact that the two discount chains adapted their business model to the Irish market, with far more branded and homegrown goods on the shelves. “A high percentage of what is bought in discounters are now branded goods,

compared to their stores elsewhere on the continent,” Rumley agrees. “Brands play a very important role in discounters of giving shoppers a choice. That said, the breadth of range isn’t there in the discounters that is there in the more established supermarkets.” The Brexit Effect Given Britain’s impending exit from the European Union, there is a fear that we could return to recession, particularly in the event of a no-deal Brexit. “Historically, we talk about lost generations, but with Brexit it is like a lost half-generation,” says Rumley. “We are now in the fourth and going into the

“

Retailers

perhaps need to understand that

the flexibility which local producers can provide

is enormous,

particularly in the context of Brexit.

”

fifth year of Brexit-related discussion.” Love Irish Food and PwC are currently engaged in research with the Irish SME food and drink sector, evaluating the thoughts of SMEs in relation to Brexit and its effect on areas like R&D, investment etc. “Brexit has certainly put a lot of brakes on investment in the food environment over the last three-plus years. We are less than 40 days away from the October deadline [at the time of the interview] and there is no certainty at all,” Rumley argues. Will we be in this situation again in January? Possibly. The absence of any clarity is clouding a lot of investment decisions.” Smaller and medium sized businesses who produce food and drink primarily for the domestic market may feel that Brexit won’t massively impact them, but Rumley warns that if even one ingredient has to come to Ireland via the land-bridge from Britain, it could be caught in a Brexit-related jam at Calais or Dover, leading to massive delays in getting to Ireland and consequent effects

on production runs. “I don’t know if the consequences have trickled down to all producers here,” he considers. “It is certainly going to have huge impact for producers, but maybe some of that might be positive. It is obviously a massive hit to our exports but we import €4 billion of groceries from Britain each year, so there is scope there for Irish companies to grow their share of the domestic market. You talk to someone like Manor Farm, East Coast Bakehouse, or Folláin preserves; while there is undoubtedly a challenge on the export side, perhaps there is an opportunity domestically to grow through import substitution. If you have tariffs of over 30%, that suddenly makes domestic producers far more competitive, especially where they are sourcing with local ingredients. There may be opportunities for domestic suppliers, if they are sourcing their ingredients locally, to narrow the price disadvantage they have had against some of the bigger importers.” Rumley continues that “Love Irish Food’s new national radio advertising campaign during October and November will bring this message home to shoppers. The campaign will be one of the strongest to date, due to the potentail effect of Brexit on the country.” Rumley admits that one certainty of Brexit will be price inflation in the grocery industry. He cites the example of the bread category, where pretty much all the flour used in commercial bread-making in the Republic of Ireland is milled across the Border. The scope to bring some of these traditional industries, like milling or sugar production, back to the Republic of Ireland, may be just a pipe dream, the Love Irish Food chief believes: “It would be very welcome, but I feel that the capital investment required, combined with the relative smallness of the Irish market, would make this unviable.” Brexit aside, the biggest challenge facing Love Irish Food member companies in the months and years ahead is one of finance, Rumley admits. “Sourcing funding is a big issue,” he says. “It’s very difficult to get cash for investment. And on the other side, margins are tightening all the time, so you are being squeezed between two points. So many Irish food businesses, like McCambridge’s or Flahavan’s, are generational businesses and it is hard for them to get the margin to be able to reinvest into their businesses, to build brands that can compete against imported products. But they are doing it, and doing it well.”

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The Retail News Interview Support from Retail Most retail groups have invested in new domestic producers in recent years, with supplier development programmes helping start-ups to gain listings and see their products on-shelf. But what more can the retail trade do to help Irish brands to survive and thrive? “It’s all about the shelf-space, getting primary position on that shelf,” Rumley insists. “Retailers perhaps need to understand that the flexibility which local producers can provide is enormous, particularly in the context of Brexit. Look at Ballymaloe Mayo, for example, launching this year to compete against Hellmann’s and Heinz; it’s a big challenge for them but then look at what Glenisk has achieved in becoming the number one brand in the yogurt category. “All we want is retailer support in terms of helping to get across the origin of our products, giving them eye-level positions on-shelf, giving them a fair crack of the whip. Once you get that, it’s up to you to deliver as a producer.” Delivering on Sustainability The area of sustainability and provenance is where Irish producers and Irish brands can really excel, given the consumer desire for sustainability has grown exponentially in recent years and the fact that a brand that is produced 50 kilometres away will generally have a far smaller carbon footprint than one that has been imported. “When people talk about sustainability, they inevitably focus on the environment, but there are three legs to the sustainability stool,” he reflects. “Environmental impact is one part but there is another aspect to sustainability in keeping jobs in local communities and thereby sustaining those communities, and the third part is about getting a fair return on your investment in order to sustain the business. Look at Spice O'Life's Insanely Good brand, which employs 60 people in Dunmanway, which makes that a big employer there; in Dublin, that’s not a big company, but in Dunmanway, that is a case of a local community helping to be kept together by a local brand and that happens all over the country where local companies are playing a big part in sustainability.” Staff Shortages Finding and retaining staff is another challenge, particularly as the economy approaches what is effectively full employment: “The role of Government is in making it easier to get technically

Brand Development Award THE Love Irish Food Brand Development Award has been a huge success story for the organisation. This year’s award gives member companies the chance to win a fully funded national Out-of-Home advertising campaign from Exterion Media through its retail network. The extensive out-of-home campaign will appear nationally for two weeks and includes print production and digital animation to the value of €75,000, together with a creative development fund of €10,000 from Owens DDB Advertising. In addition, the winning brand will receive a bespoke product sensory research package from Innovate Solutions to a value of €5,000. “When we started the Brand Development Award, we went out, cap in hand, to the media industry and asked them for their support for brands who will become their future clients, but who need a leg-up now,” Rumley reveals. “The media industry responded and Exterion Media, who have been with us for about five years, have been really tremendous. We give brands the chance to win a national advertising campaign, which some of these brands may never have had the chance to achieve. The competition is pretty fierce to win it but it’s worth it.”

Pictured at the launch of the Love Irish Food Brand Development Award are Antoinette O’Callaghan, Marketing Manager, Exterion; Barry Dooley, CEO, Association of Advertisers in Ireland; and Kieran Rumley, Executive Director, Love Irish Food.

qualified people into the country, while there is another issue with a lack of candidates at general operative level.” The last time Ireland had similar employment levels, a huge influx of workers from within the EU, primarily from Eastern Europe, provided a steady workforce across the hospitality, retail and factory/production industries. However, in 2019, the high cost of living here, particularly when it comes to rents, does not make Ireland an attractive location for other EU workers,

and there have been widespread calls for more employment permits for non-EU workers or risk staff shortages across these sectors. “The high cost of rent is a massive issue for people, particularly when they may be on a low wage,” Rumley admits. Another challenge he contemplates is that food and drink suppliers have the same issues with insurance and commercial rates as retailers, with rising costs squeezing already tight margins to breaking point: “How can you

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The Retail News Interview A Blooming Success ANOTHER big success story for Love Irish Food has been its presence at Bloom, Bord Bia’s annual horticulture and food show in the Phoenix Park over the June Bank Holiday. The Love Irish Food pavilion gets bigger every year and this year had 27 companies exhibiting. It was also the second year that An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar TD, visited the pavilion. “He spent well over an hour with

the Love Irish Food exhibitors, which gave our members a chance to get that local industry message across at Government level. Ireland is not just about digital investment; prepared consumer food is a big industry for us.” Bloom has become an important part of Love Irish Food’s annual activity, both in terms of recognition for the Love Irish Food brand itself and also as an opportunity for

member companies to engage with the public and get instant reaction. Rumley cites the example of East Coast Bakehouse: “the first time they came to Bloom they were trying to assess if they had the right format, the right bakes, and getting an immediate response there. In general, Bloom is about companies bringing new products to the market, and it’s a fantastic platform for us and our member brands.”

An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar TD, pictured with Kieran Rumley at the Love Irish Food Pavilion at Bloom 2019.

provide certainty that next year your insurance premium or your rates bill is not going to explode upwards?” Rumley asks. Looking Forward Another area where Love Irish Food engage with members is on new legislation and its effect on Irish suppliers. At the moment, that means the new EU Country of Origin labelling legislation, which comes into force on April 1, 2020. “That will have pretty profound effects,” he insists. “Article

26(3) of FIC provides that where the country of origin or place of provenance of a food is given and where it is not the same as that of its primary ingredient, the country of origin or place of provenance of the primary ingredient shall also be given or indicated as being different to that of the food.'Primary Ingredient’ means any ingredient or ingredients of a foods that represent more than 50% of that food, or, which are usually associated with the name of the food by the consumer. "It essentially means that if a

producer is suggesting a provenance as being Irish, then the ingredients must show their origin if they are sourced outside of Ireland.” Asked what he is looking forward to most in the coming months, the Love Irish Food chief is unequivocal: “I’m looking forward to having some sort of certainty when it comes to Brexit, which has been a great distraction to the dayto-day running of businesses. Gaining sight of what the eventual outcome will be – good, bad or indifferent – is what everybody is aiming to get.”

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Applegreen

A Powerful Partnership Applegreen continues to go from strength to strength in the forecourt sector, agreeing powerful and profitable dealer partnerships with forecourt owners across the country.

Lee’s Centra Applegreen, Charleville, Co. Cork: the first dealer site in Ireland to offer premium grade fuels. AS Dave McClean, Head of Commercial Fuels for Applegreen plc, reflects on the year to date, he observes that the key takeaway thus far is the “powerful partnerships we have developed with our dealer partners”. “It has been a very busy year for our dealer business and it is far from over!” McClean maintains. “We have expanded our network of dealer partners to over 75 sites nationwide”. Having started offering their consignment model to the market in 2014, Applegreen has gone from strength to strength in the forecourt and retailing industry and this is reflected in the calibre of retail partners the brand is attracting.

Ticking All the Boxes One such retail partner is John Bowler of Rock and Reeks Applegreen Centra stores in Killarney, Co. Kerry. “My contract with my previous supplier was nearing an end and Applegreen came knocking at a time when I was looking for change,” the store owner explains. “It’s not an easy decision to make; I wanted to provide my customers with fuels they can trust at a competitive price as well as choosing a fuel provider I can trust to do business with. Applegreen ticked all the boxes.” The fact that the Applegreen brand is now instantly familiar to motorists across the country has helped

Ray and Brendan Lee of Lee’s Centra Applegreen, Charleville, Co. Cork.

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Applegreen supply is our way of guaranteeing that fuels supplied by Applegreen meet national and European fuel standards, and are fully traceable from port to pump,” he stresses. “This guarantee is something our dealer partners have consistently praised as it gives total quality Rock and Reeks Applegreen Centra, Killarney, Co. Kerry: assurance for their another successful site retailing fuelgood PowerPlus. customers.” The its growth. “The Applegreen brand is importance of enhanced capabilities now a household name and year-on-year through the company’s acquisition of we are seeing this reflected through the Joint Fuel Terminal, coupled with increases in fuel and retail volumes their drive for constant innovation, can across the entire Applegreen network,” be seen once again in their offering Dave McClean notes. “The brand of premium grade fuels, fuelgood recognition is there, and with that comes PowerPlus, which is Applegreen’s most great opportunity to continue innovating advanced premium fuel. It uses a more and pushing forward with our offerings, concentrated additive, so the customer for both our customers and our dealer gets the best out of their car. partners.” McClean goes on to note the Premium Grade Fuel importance of this continued innovation “Applegreen was the first to offer for their business: “In a rapidly changing premium grade fuels to the dealer industry, we’re consistently evolving and market in Ireland and is keen to expand adapting to stay ahead of the market.” the roll-out of this offering to develop powerful partnerships with strong Roll-out of fuelgood Fuels forecourt retailers throughout Ireland,” A key innovation in recent times for the reveals McClean. “We are seeing Irish-owned brand was the successful excellent results in our dealer sites roll-out of fuelgood fuels nationwide retailing fuelgood PowerPlus. Not only throughout 2018. “At Applegreen, we are committed to giving our customers the very best, while always remaining committed to our ‘low fuel prices, always’ promise,” McClean observes. “With fuelgood, we have proven it once more, with our most advanced base fuel ever, at no extra cost to the customer. fuelgood is an improved unleaded and diesel base fuel with an additive which delivers a markedly enhanced product that’s better for cars, for the environment and at no extra cost to the consumer, whilst increasing profitability for our dealer partners.” Total Quality Assurance Since acquiring half of the Joint Fuels Terminal in Dublin Port, Applegreen’s capabilities as an organisation have “grown and flourished”, according to the Head of Commercial Fuels, with fuelgood being “a true reflection of this”. “All our fuels are imported through our joint fuel terminal in Dublin port. This single, proprietary channel of

Applegreen fuelgood and fuelgood PowerPlus.

does this offering enhance profitability for our retailers, the offering of premium grade fuels allows our dealer partners to offer their customers a product that is unique and attractive, allowing us to develop truly powerful partnerships”. Lee’s Centra Applegreen, Charleville, Co. Cork, was the first dealer in the country to offer premium grade fuels to its customers. Speaking of the impact the Applegreen brand has had on their business, store owners Ray and Brendan Lee revealed that “since joining Applegreen, we have seen a 14% rise in fuel volumes, which totally reassures us that we have made the right decision in choosing Applegreen as our fuel provider, a real testament to the powerful impact of the Applegreen brand.” Speaking in reference to the positive results the Lees are seeing since joining

John Bowler of Rock & Reeks Applegreen Centra stores, Killarney, Co. Kerry. the Applegreen dealer network, McClean notes, “This is a fantastic example of how an independent retailer and a large branded partner can work together to create an offer that is both familiar to passers-by and one which still retains a truly unique identity, created by the passion and vision of the owners.” Recognised and Trusted Brand Applegreen is one of the fastest growing dealer networks in Ireland. Having built on the success and vision of the Applegreen Motorway Service Area to expand the company to where it is today, it has become one of the most recognised and trusted brands on the road. In closing, McClean notes, “We are looking for retailers with similar vision and standards to join our network, and look forward to the continued expansion of our network in 2019 and beyond.” For more information on becoming an Applegreen dealer partner, please email: dealer@applegreen.ie or contact (01) 5124800.

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Sustainability

BIM named Sustainable Development Goal Champion BIM was one of 12 organisations named as Sustainable Development Goal champions, leading the way towards a sustainable future. BORD Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) has been appointed as a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) champion. BIM is one of just 12 organisations in Ireland to be selected to the programme, aimed at making the goals become better known and mainstream. Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton TD made the announcement at the National Ploughing Championship in Fenagh, Co. Carlow. “We need to take actions in a broad range of policy areas to put us on a more sustainable pathway. The Sustainable Development Goals draw those together in an integrated way. Achieving them will be a challenge,” he said. “We need everyone to get involved and play their part in whatever way they can. The Champions chosen here today will be beacons of best practice for the coming year. They will lead the way with practical examples for how we can all contribute.” Organisations from a diverse range of public, private and not for profit sectors are among the champions that include the GAA, An Post, the National Women’s Council of Ireland and

Pictured are (l-r): Catherine Barrett, Technical Officer, BIM; Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton TD; and Catherine Morrison, Sustainability and Certification Manager, BIM. Musgrave. The champions have been selected based on measures they have already put in place to incorporate the Sustainable Development Goals into their work.

and climate change by 2030. BIM is champion for goals 2 (End Hunger), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and 14 (Life Below Water).

Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability Jim O’Toole, CEO, BIM, praised the ambition and unified approach of this new programme: “The environmental, economic and social sustainability of the Irish seafood sector is central to BIM’s strategy. It’s hugely promising to see 12 leading and quite diverse organisations in Ireland take on the role of SDG champions in the first year of this exciting new programme to drive sustainability.” The UN Sustainable Development Goals, launched just over three years ago, have been established as a call to action for world leaders to address global issues to reduce hunger, poverty

SDG Champion Programme This is the first year the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment is appointing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Champions. The champion programme will continue, with new champions being appointed on an annual basis. Each Champion organisation will primarily focus on a select number of SDGs each, resulting in all 17 SDGs being championed in total. However, all 12 Champions’ campaigns will be built around the core message that the Sustainable Development Goals are for everyone in society and that everyone can make a contribution, large or small, to their success.

MAKE THE SWITCH

JUUL.ie Designed for adult smokers. Not for sale to minors. NOT FOR SALE TO MINORS: This is an age-restricted product and age verification is required at sale. TM and © 2019 JUUL Labs, Inc. JUUL and JUULpods are trademarks of JUUL Labs, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cuimsíonn an táirge seo nicitín, ar substaint an-andúile é. This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance.

22|Retail News|October 2019|www.retailnews.ie

Barry Group Annual Awards

Celebrating Excellence in Retailing The Barry Group Annual Awards saw the presentation of the Costcutter and Carry Out Store of the Year Awards, as well as the top performing suppliers to the Group. BARRY Group held their annual awards in City West, Dublin this September celebrating the retail group’s shining stars across their symbol groups, Costcutter and Carry Out, along with their Supplier of the Year awards. These awards acknowledge the

trojan efforts that the retail group’s stores and retailers go to on a daily basis to ensure that they are excelling in store standards, ensuring a customer-centric approach and a superior offering, while consistently meeting the evolving needs of the modern-day consumer.

Competitive Retail Environment “In the past year the FMCG industry has witnessed monumental obstacles, including the pending outcome of Brexit, a highly competitive landscape and consistent price wars, making business not only hard for retailers

Stafford’s Costcutter, Clonard, Co. Wexford, won the Costcutter Store of the Year Award. Pictured are (l-r): Paul Roche, Head of Costcutter Sales, Barry Group; Edwina Lucey, Sales Director, Barry Group; Brent Pope; Bena Stafford, Michael Power and Jennifer Martin, from the winning store; and Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group.

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Barry Group Annual Awards but wholesalers and suppliers alike,” said Jim Barry, Managing Director of Barry Group, on the night of the awards. “We are living in the most competitive retail environment that we have witnessed in the past 20 years. However, although this may pose challenges, at Barry Group we always aim to see the positives and pinpoint how we can service our retailers best, retaining our place as one of Ireland’s leading wholesale groups.” Overall Costcutter Store of the Year The overall Costcutter Store of the Year Award was deservingly presented to Stafford’s Costcutter, Clonard, Co. Wexford. Stafford’s Costcutter represents the very best in the Costcutter portfolio, with the auditors stating, “This award is a testament to the hard work and vision of a passionate and dedicated team”. Continuing the celebrations, AlQadi’s Carry Out, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick, were awarded Carry Out Store of the Year due to their exceptional standards in-store and their dedication to range and customer service. Both of these award recipients are proud supporters of their respective local communities, while going over and above to always offer the consumer a memorable experience. Supplier of the Year Named On the night, C&C Gleeson were awarded the highly coveted Supplier of the Year Award for their outstanding service and attentive nature of every facet of the Barry Group account. Other notable award winners in the category included Tayto Snacks for the Best Central Billing Supplier and Britvic for Best Retail Support Supplier. Building on the recognition of retail excellence, Jim Barry referred to his confidence in the future success of the Barry Group and its symbol groups: “I am quite satisfied and humbled, knowing that the future of Barry Group and our symbol groups is extremely bright when it is in the hands of our incredible team, devoted retailers and ever accommodating suppliers.”

Costcutter Awards Outstanding Customer Service • Caroline O’ Donovan, Costcutter Bridge Street, Cork • Siobhan O’ Neill, Costcutter Wellington Bridge, Co. Wexford • Mary Faulkner, Costcutter Moville, Co. Donegal

Overall Wine Department of the Year Joint 1st Place: Wallace’s Costcutter, Wellington Bridge, Co. Wexford Joint 1st Place: Doherty’s Costcutter, Carndonagh, Co. Donegal 3rd Place: Massey’s Costcutter, Windy Arbour, Dublin 14.

Best Manager Award • Manny Louerenco, Amber Costcutter, Killmallock Road, Limerick • Susan Cahalane, Costcutter Bandon, Co. Cork • Jennifer Martin, Costcutter Clonard, Co. Wexford

Off Licence of the Year 1st Place: O’Neill’s Costcutter, Dorset Street, Dublin 1. 2nd Place: Massey’s Costcutter, Windy Arbour, Dublin 14. 3rd Place: Doherty’s Costcutter, Carndonagh, Co. Donegal

Food to Go Award 1st Place: Skelly’s Costcutterm Virginia, Co. Cavan 2nd Place: Cahalane’s Costcutter, Bandon, Co. Cork 3rd Place: Massey’s Costcutter, Windy Arbour, Dublin 14 Forecourt Award Joint 1st Place: O’ Brien’s Amber Costcutter, Bishopstown, Co. Cork Joint 1st Place: Curtin’s Costcutter, Charleville, Co. Cork 3rd Place: Amber Costcutter, Killmallock Road, Limerick Best Butchery Award • Doherty’s Costcutter, Carndonagh, Co. Donegal Best Bakery Award • Tierney’s Costcutter, Tulla Road, Co. Clare Best Hygiene Award • Mac Donnchadha’s Costcutter, Bealadangan, Co. Galway Most Improved Store • Cahalane’s Costcutter, Bandon, Co. Cork

Costcutter Stores up to 2,500 square feet Award 1st Place: Stafford’s Costcutter, Clonard, Co. Wexford 2nd Place: Durkin’s Costcutter, Baile Na Habhann, Co. Galway 3rd Place: Concannon’s Costcutter, Killimor, Co. Galway Costcutter Stores 2,501 – 3,500 square feet Award 1st Place: Skelly’s Costcutter, Virginia, Co. Cavan 2nd Place: Wallace’s Costcutter Wellington Bridge, Co. Wexford 3rd Place: Curtin’s Amber Costcutter, Charleville, Co. Cork Large Format Stores Award 1st Place: Doherty’s Costcutter, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal 2nd Place: Doherty’s Costcutter, Carndonagh, Co. Donegal 3rd Place: The Gem Costcutter, Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo Overall Costcutter Store of the Year • Stafford’s Costcutter, Clonard, Co. Wexford

Pictured at the presentation of the Costcutter Large Format Stores Award to Doherty’s Costcutter, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal, are (l-r): Paul Roche, Head of Costcutter Sales, Barry Group; Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group; Ronan and Michael Doherty from Doherty’s Costcutter; and Edwina Lucey, Sales Director, Barry Group.

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Barry Group Annual Awards Carry Out Awards Outstanding Customer Service of the Year • Knight’s Carry Out, Mallow, Co. Cork Regional Awards South West Award: AlQadi’s Carry Out, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick Midlands Award: Heffernan’s Carry Out, Tipperary Town, Tipperary South Award: Fleming’s Carry Out, Killarney, Co. Kerry East Award: Reynold’s Carry Out, Clongriffin, Dublin 13 Regional Express Awards West Award: Forde’s 4D Carry Out, Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo East Award: Clarke’s Carry Out, Ballieborough, Co. Cavan South West Award: O’ Sullivan’s Carry Out, Kenmare, Co. Kerry Midlands Award: Flanagan’s Carry Out, Newbridge, Co. Kildare Spirit Department of the Year • Fleming’s Carry Out, Killarney, Co. Kerry Craft Beer Department of the Year • Reynold’s Carry Out, Clongriffin, Dublin 13. Wine Department of the Year • Heffernan’s Carry Out, Tullamore, Co. Offaly

The Carry Out Store of the Year Award went to AlQadi’s Carry Out, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick. Pictured are (l-r): Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group; Edwina Lucey, Sales Director, Barry Group; Brent Pope; Helen Dunworth, Barbara Ryan, Laura AlQadi and Nasser AlQadi from the winning store; and David O Keeffe, National Sales Manager, Carry Out.

Own Brand Champion • McCarthy’s Carry Out, St. John’s Square, Limerick Carry Out Express Store of the Year • Forde’s 4D Carry Out, Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo Carry Out Store of the Year • AlQadi’s Carry Out, Newcastle West, Limerick

Barry Filgate, Business Account Manager, Tayto Snacks (centre) is pictured accepting the award for Best Central Billing Supplier from Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group, and Niall Hartnett, HR Director, Barry Group.

C&C Gleeson were named Supplier of the Year. Pictured are (l-r): Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group; special guest Brent Pope; Jim Kelly, National Account Manager, C&C Gleeson; Niall Hartnett, HR Director, Barry Group.

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Barry Group Annual Awards Supplier of the Year Awards Best Ambient Supplier • Mondelez Ireland Best Alcohol Supplier • C&C Gleeson Best Chill & Fresh Supplier • Glenisk Best Innovation Supplier • Rockshore Cider Best Central Billing Supplier • Tayto Snacks Best Retail Support Supplier • Britvic Overall Supplier of the Year • C&C Gleeson

Pictured at the presentation of the Best Retail Support Supplier Award, which went to Britvic, are (l-r): Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group; Allen Lynch, Key Account Manager, Britvic; and Niall Hartnett, HR Director, Barry Group.

Runners-up in the Costcutter Stores up to 2,500 square feet Award were Durkin’s Costcutter, Baile Na Habhann, Co. Galway. Pictured are: Paul Roche, Head of Costcutter Sales, Barry Group; Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group; store owner Eoin Durkin; and Edwina Lucey, Sales Director, Barry Group.

Skelly’s Costcutter, Virginia, Co. Cavan, took home the Award for Costcutter Stores from 2,501-3,500 square feet. Pictured are (lr): Paul Roche, Head of Costcutter Sales, Barry Group; Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group; Leona McNally, Judy Skelly, Peter Skelly and Tara Keogan from Skelly’s Costcutter; and Edwina Lucey, Sales Director, Barry Group; and Peter Skelly, store owner.

Wallace’s Costcutter Wellington Bridge, Wexford, were runners-up in the Costcutter Stores, 2,501-3,500 square feet Award. Ger Cruise from Wallace’s (second from right) is pictured with Paul Roche, Head of Costcutter Sales, Barry Group; Jim Barry, MD, Barry Group; and Edwina Lucey, Sales Director, Barry Group.

Peter Reynolds from Reynold’s Carry Out Clongriffin, Dublin 13, is pictured accepting the Carry Out Regional Award for the East from Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group; Edwina Lucey, Sales Director, Barry Group;and David O Keeffe, National Sales Manager, Carry Out.

The Gem Costcutter, Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo came in third place in the Costcutter Large Format Stores category. Pictured are (l-r): Paul Roche, Head of Costcutter Sales, Barry Group; Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group; Stephen Kearney from The Gem Costcutter; and Edwina Lucey, Sales Director, Barry Group.

Fleming’s Carry Out, Killarney, took home the Carry Out Regional Award for the South Region. John Fleming (second from right) is pictured receiving the award from Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group; Edwina Lucey, Sales Director, Barry Group; and David O Keeffe, National Sales Manager, Carry Out.

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Soups

Souper Stars! Convenience and healthy eating are driving growth in the soup category, particularly in fresh, chilled soup. GROWTH in the soup category in 2018 was driven by rising demand for convenience and health and wellness options, according to the latest report into the sector by Euromonitor International. Very much a comfort food, particularly as the cold weather begins to bite, soup is also convenient, particularly chilled soup, taking little time to prepare, while it is also seen as a healthy product. Dehydrated soup continued to record the heaviest decline in both value and volume terms in 2018, according to the Euromonitor report. This can be largely attributed to demographic change, although mainly older people still buy dehydrated soup. Chilled soup remained the best performing category in 2018 in both retail volume and value terms. Consumer preference for chilled soup

over other formats is mainly due to the general perception that it is the closest thing to homemade soup, something which is highlighted by brands such as Cully & Sully. Growing consumer health consciousness is influencing the category. Many of the leading brands

are seeking to tap into the health trend by using fresh ingredients and seasonal produce. Heinz Earlier this year, food favourite Heinz reimagined its much-loved canned soups to suit increasingly busy lunchtime

Heinz Pot Soups have been given a new look, just in time for the chilly season.

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Soups Guest appearance of White Winter Veg in December. Cully & Sully are also proud to announce that this year, they supported the Big Beach Clean with Clean Coasts. This year was the biggest ever beach clean, with over 200 Clean Coasts groups taking part. Cullen Allen and Colum O’ Sullivan, two childhood friends, started Cully & Sully in 2004 with a range of pies as a response to the growing trend of convenience food. They recognised that

New additions to the Heinz Pot Soup range: Heinz Cream of Chicken Pot Soup, and Heinz Cream of Mushroom Pot Soup. schedules, resulting in the launch of new microwaveable Heinz Pot Soups in two varieties, Cream of Tomato and Smooth Vegetable. Now, following its success and just in time for the chilly season, Heinz has given the range a fresh new look and added two delicious new varieties, on sale in all major supermarkets since September. The new varieties are Heinz Cream of Chicken Pot Soup, and Heinz Cream of Mushroom Pot Soup. “Our range of Pot Soups has gone really well with busy consumers and we’re excited to be launching these two new varieties in this ultra-convenient format that suits busy work lifestyles,” explained Andrew Phipps, Heinz Ireland Category & Insights Manager. “We are confident that we can help re-address that all important work lunch balance!” The microwaveable range comes in different sizes to suit different lunchtime needs in convenient pots that are 100% recyclable. True to classic Heinz Soups, Heinz Pot Soups have the same great taste consumers expect from Heinz soups and can be found at most major Irish supermarkets, including Dunnes, Tesco and SuperValu.

‘Squashed’ Veggie Soup from Cully & Sully is back on shelves just in time for the colder months. due to time pressure, more and more people were turning to convenience options but at the time, the quality of the products needed to be improved. Following on from the success of the pies, they launched a range of soups in 2008 which have gone from strength to strength, with Cully & Sully soups now the number one chilled soup in Ireland. They frequently introduce new flavours to ensure consumer interest in the soup category remains high.

The range includes: •

•

• •

Heinz Cream of Tomato Pot Soup – available in 280g, 355g and 490g (1 of your 5 a day, suitable for vegetarians); Heinz Smooth Vegetable Pot Soup – available in 280g, 355g and new 490g ((1 of your 5 a day, suitable for vegetarians); New Heinz Cream of Chicken Pot Soup – available in 355g and 490g; New Heinz Cream of Mushroom Pot Soup, available in 355g (suitable for vegetarians).

Heinz Cream of Tomato and Smooth Vegetable Pot Soups have been really well received by Irish consumers. Cully & Sully Irelands’ number one soup makers, Cully & Sully are delighted that their ’Squashed Veggie’ Special Guest Soup will be back on your shelves soon, as we are coming into the colder months. Make sure you grab a pot of this limited edition soup before the next Special

Cully & Sully proudly supported the 2019 Big Beach Clean with Clean Coasts. This year was the biggest ever beach clean, with over 200 Clean Coasts groups taking part.

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Soups

Avonmore Soups Avonmore Soups have redesigned their packaging in order to stand out on-shelf. The newly designed soup cartons feature a colour-coded strips, which means it will be easier for the consumer to spot their favourite Avonmore Soup flavour, including ‘gluten free’ call outs front of pack, and detailed recycling information on the back of pack – ‘rinse, separate

materials and flatten’. The newly designed soup cartons are currently rolling out into stores and are supported with POS. Additionally, the Feel Good range of soups are being advertised as vegan. The Feel Good Avonmore soups come in a range of three flavours: Feel Good Tomato & Basil, Feel Good Mediterranean Vegetable and Feel Good Garden Vegetable. The Feel Good

range does not contain any dairy or animal produce, and are each under 100 calories per 400g carton. Avonmore soups are in growth by +2.5% volume (ACNielsen, TS, MAT, August 29, 2019) and have the highest brand awareness of the Fresh Soup category at 90% (Bord Bia Brand Health 2019), which is a sure reason to stock up on Avonmore Soups this winter!

Our range is suitable for vegans PACKED WITH GOODNESS Avonmore Feel Good soups are suitable for vegans, as they do not contain any dairy or animal produce, and are AVONMORE SOUP TALKERS.indd 2 24/06/2019 each under 100 calories per 400g carton.

09:16

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Sales & Merchandising

No Time to Stand Still AFTER over two decades providing field marketing support to many of Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading household brand names, Crossell is well adapted to covering a multitude of sales and merchandising requirements for clients. Its services range from simply placing an FSDU in-store to providing a fully serviced field sales team that includes a field sales manager, business developers, merchandising, fleet, reporting technology and sales admin support. No matter what the scale of requirement, the team at Crossell have the flexibility and resources to deliver. A key differentiator for Crossell is that it not only has an in-house tech support team, but it also develops and maintains its own reporting platform software that drives data analytics outputs. This inhouse approach allows for a high degree of flexibility to meet client reporting requirements. Market Leading Data Support Having great people is one part of the equation; having market leading data

Crossell not only has an in-house tech support team, but it also develops and maintains its own reporting platform software that drives data analytics outputs. support is the other, data that drives key decisions on how to direct and optimise the performance of a field sales team. More and more clients are focused upon the data aspects of the Crossell service and take the people aspect as a given.

Operating across multiple channels (grocery, DIY, electrical and convenience) with diverse product ranges has allowed the Crossell team to develop a unique perspective on the market and current best practice. These insights are utilised to continually improve their clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; performance in

trade. If you are reviewing your sales and merchandising requirements, contact Ian Shipley, on 086 770 0466 or email ianshipley@crossell.ie to start a confidential conversation.

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SuperValu Tidy Towns

Glaslough Named Ireland’s Tidiest Town The SuperValu Tidy Towns competition 2019 saw Glaslough, Co. Monaghan, named as Ireland’s Tidiest Town, in the 28th year that SuperValu has sponsored the competition. GLASLOUGH, Co. Monaghan, was named as Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2019. The SuperValu TidyTowns competition is now entering its seventh decade and Glaslough was judged to be the best from a record number of 918 entries to the competition this year. The announcement was greeted with great celebration and excitement at the awards ceremony at The Helix in Dublin on September 30. On hand to present the prizes were Michael Ring TD, Minister for Rural and Community Development, and Martin Kelleher, Managing Director of SuperValu, the competition’s sponsor for the 28th year. The Helix was packed with representatives of TidyTowns groups from all over the country, eagerly awaiting the announcement of the winners. Glaslough also claimed the award of Ireland’s Tidiest Village. Other winners included Blackrock, Co. Louth, which received the award for Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town; Westport, Co. Mayo received the award of Ireland’s Tidiest Large Town; while Ennis, Co Clare, was declared Ireland's Tidiest Large Urban Centre. Passion and Pride “This is a fantastic achievement for Glaslough, who are very deserving winners,” noted Minister Ring. “Glaslough, who first entered the SuperValu TidyTowns competition in 1966, have great passion and pride in their community. They have been consistently achieving high standards in the competition at local, regional and European level. Today, all that commitment and dedication has paid off, with the top prize being awarded to them. This is the second time that

Glaslough, Co. Monaghan, were overall winners at the SuperValu TidyTowns National Finals. Volunteers from Glaslough are pictured with Louise Duffy, Glaslough TidyTowns Co-Ordinator; Minister for Rural & Community Development, Michael Ring TD; Gareth Corrigan, Chairperson, Glaslough TidyTowns; and Martin Kelleher, Managing Director, SuperValu. Glaslough has been awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Town, which is a remarkable achievement and shows that the commitment and enthusiasm of the TidyTowns committees continues to remain strong.” The Minister congratulated Glaslough and all of the other deserving prize-winners announced at the awards ceremony: “The work of all those involved in the TidyTowns effort results in the attractive and welcoming towns and villages we see all over the country, and from which we all benefit. It is this passion and pride that have made our towns and villages not only attractive and welcoming for visitors, but have created a ‘sense of place’ for those who live, work and raise families there. That is why this competition has continued to flourish for more than 60 years.”

Funding Allocation Minister Ring also announced a special allocation of €1.4m to support the work of individual TidyTowns Committees around the country to assist them in their continued efforts to enhance their towns and villages, the third year in a row that the Minister has allocated this funding. “I am delighted to be able to announce that I am making available €1.4m in order to directly support the TidyTowns committees who work so tirelessly to bring out the best in their towns and villages,” noted Minister Ring. “All of the towns and villages involved in the competition across the country should benefit from this investment. Wherever you have active Tidy Towns committees, it gives the town a real sense of pride and engagement, and

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SuperValu Tidy Towns live and work in. The immense pride in where you’re from shines through every part of what you have achieved to reach these high standards.” The MD reflected on SuperValu’s long history with the competition: “Since SuperValu started sponsoring TidyTowns almost 30 years ago, the competition has steadily grown from its initial focus on making our villages and towns neat and tidy, to the present day, where it is now the greatest sustainability initiative in Ireland.” Picture shows Minister for Rural & Community Development, Michael Ring TD; John Horan, Chairperson TidyTown's Committee, Blackrock, Co. Louth; and Martin Kelleher, Managing Director, SuperValu, surrounded by TidyTowns volunteers from Blackrock, Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town winners. creates a great atmosphere for both residents and visitors alike.” The Minister also thanked SuperValu, the competition’s sponsor: “I want to pay tribute to SuperValu, who are now in their 28th year as sponsor and who continue to work with us to grow the competition. It is getting stronger every year, with increased participation, an increased number of awards and a notable increase in the efforts of the communities involved. SuperValu have shown fantastic support for the competition, not only through their financial sponsorship but also through the support provided to local TidyTowns groups by their network of local retailers.” A Remarkable Achievement Martin Kelleher, Managing Director, SuperValu, congratulated Glaslough for being named Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2019: “It is really a remarkable achievement and is testament to the commitment, dedication and passion

Landmark Year 2019 was another landmark year for the SuperValu TidyTowns competition, Kelleher explained: “The competition

Volunteers from Ireland’s Tidiest Large Town winners, Westport, Co. Mayo, are pictured at the SuperValu TidyTowns National Finals at the Helix, with Minister for Rural & Community Development, Michael Ring TD; Liam Campion, Westport TidyTowns Chairperson and SuperValu Store Manager; and Martin Kelleher, Managing Director, SuperValu. of the Glaslough SuperValu TidyTowns committee.” Kelleher went on to congratulate all the category winners, who he said “made an outstanding effort to make their communities better places to

Ennis TidyTowns volunteers are pictured celebrating being named Ireland’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre, at the SuperValu TidyTowns National Finals with Minister for Rural & Community Development, Michael Ring TD; Cormac McCarthy, Chairperson, Ennis TidyTowns; and Martin Kelleher, Managing Director, SuperValu.

tagline, ‘Caring for our Environment’, underlines our shared commitment to having a positive impact on our surroundings. This year it has inspired thousands of passionate volunteers and a record number of 918 TidyTowns committees to deliver a range of extraordinary projects across the country. “SuperValu shares this desire to build sustainable communities and the SuperValu TidyTowns competition is one of the best ways for us to achieve this,” he continued. “We are delighted to have been involved in the competition for the past 28 years and we look forward to SuperValu TidyTowns reaching 1,000 committees.” The SuperValu TidyTowns competition is organised by the Department of Rural and Community Development and sponsored by SuperValu, who have supported the competition since 1992. Full details of all this year’s winners are available at www.tidytowns.ie and at www.supervalu.ie.

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Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition

Innovation to the Fore at Expo Aaron Dodd reports from the 2019 Food & Drink Business Conference & Exhibition, where a range of seminars covered some of the biggest issues facing the industry today. OVER 2,000 visitors from across Ireland attended the Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition 2019 on Thursday, September 5, in the Citywest Convention Centre, Dublin. The exhibition is now in its seventh year and has become a ‘must-attend’ event for those working in the food and drink industry. The visitors represented every facet of the food and drink industry from suppliers of ingredients, raw materials and finished goods to the processing, packaging and labelling sector and the advertising and marketing whizzes, as well as the retail and wholesale sectors. Attendees could test and taste the latest products and developments from leading industry innovators, and also had the opportunity to attend a wide range of seminars and presentations, covering all aspects of retailing in Ireland, from the sustainability of the Irish farming industry to the changing expectations of consumers and even what hashtags to use when promoting your product on social media. Sustainability & Plastic Packaging Louise Sullivan, Director of Public Affairs & Communications, Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland, set the tone for the day when she delivered an informative presentation on the issue of plastic packaging and what Coca-Cola plans to do going forward to tackle this global problem. The most striking part of the presentation was the discussion of a

new Coca-Cola campaign, World Without Waste. World Without Waste is a bold strategy that will see Coca-Cola collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one it sells by 2030. Additionally, it aims to offer 100% recyclable packaging by 2025 and create packaging with at least 50% recycled material by 2030. Continuing the theme of tackling environmental issues in the industry, a lively panel discussion took place after Sullivan’s presentation. Justin Carton, Director of Projects at Manor Farm, along with Denis O’Brien, Director of Standards & Solutions, GS1 Ireland, and Jackie Cahill, Fianna Fáil TD for Tipperary and spokesperson on Food & Horticulture; and Gavin Cartland, Head of Commercial & Category at Bio-tiful Dairy Ltd, tried to answer the questions surrounding the sustainability of the meat and dairy industry. The sustainability issue was brought into stark focus by the fact that the Amazon rainforest was burning while the discussion took place, a result of

Brazilian farmers looking to create more land to farm. The question was posed to the panellists that with more than 4m tonnes of maize and soy being imported into Ireland from Brazil and other South American countries for cattle and poultry, should farmers look for alternative food sources? Justin Carton explained that Manor Farm has developed “micro-circular economies” which means that they grow their own wheat, feed it to the chickens and then use the poultry litter as fertilizer to grow more wheat. This circular economy approach creates independence from the global market and could be part of the answer to the sustainability issue; it also ties into the modern consumer’s desire for products that are sustainable and environmentally-friendly. The Future for the Fuel Sector Sustainability is not only an issue for the food and drink industry. Kevin McPartlan, CEO of the Irish Petroleum Industry Association (IPIA) also tackled the issue

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Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition Taming the Lions’ Den

THE National Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition prides itself on fostering and promoting enterprise and innovation. This was reflected in the final of the Lions Den competition, which was won by Fiid, the producer of ambient vegan ready meals. Shane Ryan, founder of Fiid, successfully confronted the Lions Den judges, comprising Alison Cowzer of The Company of Food and an RTE Dragons Den investor; Holly White, author and food & lifestyle influencer; Colum O’Sullivan, co-founder of Cully & Sully; and Brian Lee, co-founder and CEO of Freshly Chopped. The other three Lions Den finalists were Gogo Roos/Humble Acre, Simply Fit Food and Sweet Potato Pizza Company.

Celebrity chef, Neven Maguire, pictured at the event. during his talk on liquid fuels retailing in a low carbon future. McPartlan discussed the Government’s Climate Action Plan, which sets an ambitious target that by 2030 all new cars and vans sold in Ireland will be zero emissions. The IPIA CEO acknowledged that although the members of his association make their profit from petrol, diesel, oil etc, they have also been preparing for this change by installing charge points in forecourts and around the country. Forecourt owners must prepare for this change too, urged McPartlan, who explained that electric cars and charge points will change consumer behaviour. Consumers will spend more time in forecourts while charging their cars, approximately 10-15 minutes more, which means the standard of food and drinks on offer should increase, as should seating areas. The longer waiting times means there is more opportunity to sell and consumers will be looking to buy while waiting. The widespread use of electric vehicles will bring new opportunities to forecourt owners who are ready to embrace change. Utilising Social Media Eimear McManus, Director, Digital Works Agency, introduced another topic at the forefront of the modern food and drink industry, how to successfully use social media marketing for your business. Even though the majority of people use social media every day, it is still something that many businesses struggle to use effectively. One top tip McManus shared with the audience was to use her E-I-E-I-O method when

Attendees could test and taste the latest products and developments from leading industry innovators.

Over 2,000 visitors attended the Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition 2019.

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Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition Irish Food & Drink Business Awards

Exhibitors used the Food & Drink Business Exhibition to showcase their latest innovations. posting on social media, this means that your content should: Educate, Inform, Entertain, Inspire and be Open. The “be open” tip is also another underutilised aspect of social media, as engagement with customers is key to creating brand awareness. Making use of the various extra additions, such as polls, quizzes and voting, allows you to engage in market research, interact with customers and let them know that what they think is important. A customer is more likely to remember an interaction on social media with a business than just

another post which can be lost in their news feed. What Consumers Want: How to Listen Ian Mullin, Head of Innovation, Freshways, reinforced the importance of listening to what consumers want. Firstly, by listening to consumers’ growing interest in vegan and vegetarian options, Mullin and his team created Vegways, a line of vegan and vegetarian sandwiches, rolls and wraps. Unfortunately, Vegways failed to take off and was eventually pulled from the

A lively panel discussion examined the challenges and opportunities surrounding the sustainability of the meat and dairy industry.

THE 2019 Irish Food & Drink Business Awards covered 18 categories across the full spectrum of the Irish food and drink industry. The overall winner - the Gran Prix Company of the Year – was claimed by Freshways Ireland, which won the Food Service Company of the Year category and was then named as the Food & Drink Company of the Year. Other Award winners included: Java Republic (Beverage Company of the Year); Kerrygold Butter Packaging (Dairy Manufacturing Company of the Year); Manor Farm (Meat/Poultry Company of the Year); Bretzel Trading Company (Bakery/Confectionery Company of the Year); and Great Northern Distillery (Spirits Company of the Year). Ginos Gelato won the SME Food & Drink Company of the Year Award and Ice Cream Treats was named Health & Wellness Product of the Year. Dunnes Stores retained its title as Own Label Brand of the Year, having won this category in 2018. A special Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Vincent Carton, head of Manor Farm, the largest chicken processor and market leader in the Republic of Ireland.

shelves. Second time around, however, the Freshways team listened more carefully; they knew consumers wanted more options when it came to vegan and vegetarian sandwiches, that consumers would not sacrifice taste for a vegan option and lastly, that consumers preferred a meat alternative such as falafel rather than a meat substitute such as a “fake steak”. This time, Vegways was a complete success. The Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition 2019 brought together all members of the food and drink industry from ingredients manufacturers, food retailers, food service operators and hospitality providers, relevant State and regulatory bodies, academia, and key suppliers for an important and informative event, which left attendees confident in the future of the food and drink industry in Ireland.

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Flahavan's

Flahavan’s Overnight Oats Flahavan’s successfully grew market share during the past 12 months, reaching over 56% value share of Hot Oats* - a testament to its consistent quality and the loyalty of its consumer base. Convenient product formats experienced the strongest growth, now accounting for approximately a third of the overall Hot Oats category – an indication of changing consumer habits around breakfast and the challenges posed by increasingly busy lives. Targeted at younger audiences seeking healthy and convenient breakfast solutions, Flahavan’s Overnight Oats range has recently expanded beyond Raspberry & Apple to include a new Cranberry & Chia Seeds variant in July 2019. With taste and nutrition at the heart of this vegan friendly range, Overnight Oats combines

locally-sourced wholegrain oats, with an assortment of seeds and fruits to create deliciously refreshing chilled breakfast offerings. Strongly supported by Radio, Digital and Influencer campaigns driving awareness and education around

the Overnight Oats product concept, the range will be highlighted to both male and female consumers aged 20+ throughout September 2019. Health remains at the forefront of consumers’ minds when making choices around breakfast and Flahavan’s continues to stay close to consumers through ongoing research to help understand their changing needs. As a result, the company has recently expanded it’s “No Added Sugar” Hi8 Muesli range to include Date & Coconut. With Hi8 Original outperforming all other competitor muesli products in multiple retailers, the new variant not only broadens the offering for healthconscious consumers seeking to reduce their sugar consumption, but also provides an exceptional taste experience with naturally sweet chopped dates and creamy toasted coconut shavings. *Kantar Market Data, 52 Weeks to March 2019

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38|Retail News|October 2019|www.retailnews.ie

Stocked Festival

IGBF Well Stocked After Inaugural Festival The inaugural Stocked Festival was a resounding success, which saw 1,000 happy festival-goers raising €55,000 for the Irish Grocers Benevolent Fund. THE inaugural Stocked Festival has raised an impressive €55,000 for the Irish Grocers Benevolent Fund (IGBF), thanks to the generous support of the grocery trade. Nestled at the entry point to the Dublin Mountains, Orlagh House in Rathfarnham played host to almost 1,000 members of the grocery industry for a carnival atmosphere full of live

The Stocked Festival Committee are pictured at Orlagh House, Rathfarnham: Richard Wood, Sharon Doherty, Kari Daniels, Leonard Hegarty (IGBF), John Brennan and Joe Manning.

Ruth Hankin, Category & Shopper Marketing Controller, Heineken Ireland, and Richard Wood, Category Director, Tesco Ireland, pictured at Stocked Festival.

music, comedy and street performance, combined with amazing food and drinks from Ireland’s greatest producers. The IGBF is a registered charity which provides financial assistance for people in the retail and grocery sectors who have fallen on difficult times because of ill health, unemployment or bereavement. Several of Ireland’s top retailers and retail brands, including

National Lottery, Centra, Circle K, Maxol, SuperValu and Tesco, joined forces as supporters of the new and innovative fundraiser. “I am delighted to have attended the latest exciting fundraiser for the Fund at Stocked Festival,” noted IGBF chairman, Leonard Hegarty. “It was a fantastic day of food, fun and festivities at the unique location at Orlagh House.

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Stocked Festival a host of Irish comedians, including Deirdre O’Kane, Karl Spain and Eric Lalor, alongside a spread of Irish performers and musicians across several stages, this event appealed to a broader audience, while raising funds for the IGBF and giving back to the grocery industry.

Pictured enjoying the Stocked Festival are Clara Edwards and Susan Hanrahan. Natalia Babyuk, Customer & Operations Support Executive, Gala Retail Services; and Marie Hearty, Financial Accountant, Gala Retail Services.

We’re delighted that the funding raised will continue to support the families of our industry who need our help.” With a stellar line-up, including Gavin James headlining, as well as

IGBF President of Appeals and CEO of Tesco Ireland, Kari Daniels, with IGBF Chairman, Leonard Hegarty.

Celebrating the Best of the Grocery Industry This year’s President of Appeals, Kari Daniels, CEO of Tesco Ireland, stated, “I’m delighted to have been a part of a new and different event to the grocery industry calendar to raise funds to support the IGBF. Stocked Festival brought together all the best brands of our industry, the brands that retailers sell daily, with the added fun spirit of music, food and comedy, celebrating the best of the grocery industry. I express my thanks to the brands, sponsors and ticket holders who helped us raise the much-needed funds which will allow the IGBF to continue to support the families and individuals who need our help.” Historically, the IGBF has been supported by fundraising by the leading companies in the retail, wholesale, food and drink and services industries. In 2018, the IGBF distributed over €480,000 in grants to people in need, and currently assists 250 families monthly.

Alannah Coghlan and Faye Cruickshank are prepared for all weather at the inaugural Stocked Festival.

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Plastic Packaging

LRSI Makes Plastic Pledge Lucozade Ribena Suntory Ireland has unveiled path to reach 100% sustainable plastic bottles within a decade. to find new and innovative solutions to address this global issue.” Growing for Good The move is in line with the Suntory vision of Growing for Good and is a key component of the region’s sustainability Mark Aherne, General Manager at Lucozade Ribena framework that Suntory Ireland. calls for action to communications and marketing respect natural resources by using less campaigns to encourage recycling and and better packaging and producing less responsible disposal and will ensure all waste. packaging is clearly marked to show how “Our priorities are limiting it should be recycled. our impact on natural resources, eliminating waste, and reducing our Significant Milestone carbon footprint,” insists Harding. “The Mark Aherne, General Manager at changes and innovations we are making Lucozade Ribena Suntory Ireland, are massive; they are set to remove welcomed the announcement: “This thousands of tonnes of new plastic made marks a significant milestone in the from fossil oil from our manufacturing evolution of our business in Ireland and operations every year. This will also for the soft drinks sector globally. By contribute to a significant reduction 2030, we aim to use only plant-based in CO2 emissions, since sustainable materials or plastic that has been plastic has a lower carbon footprint than previously used to make our bottles. making new plastic.” Before this, by 2025, we will ensure that SBFE has already started to make all of our packaging will be reusable or the change with the recyclable and we will reduce our use of announcement of plastic materials where we are able. We a consortium with are ready and willing to invest the time, Carbios, a company resource and money that will be needed pioneering new, bioto make this vision a reality.” industrial solutions to Lucozade Ribena Suntory Ireland reinvent the lifecycle also announced a bottle redesign across of plastic and textile its core drinks to ensure each one has polymers. the optimum chance of being recycled For its packaging back into plastic bottles to help drive the to be fully sustainable, circularity of plastics. Lucozade Ribena Reducing plastic in its supply chain Suntory Ireland is also Suntory Beverage and Food Europe (SBFE) has set will continue to be a key focus. Initiatives making its packaging out a roadmap to use fully recycled or plant-based will focus on eliminating plastic waste, 100% recyclable to materials across entire portfolio by 2030, to reach further lightweighting bottles and enable bottle-tothe Suntory Group’s global ambition of 100% exploring innovative and alternative bottle recycling. It will sustainable polyethylene terephthalate (PET). sources of materials to replace plastic. increase consumer

LUCOZADE Ribena Suntory Ireland, through its parent company Suntory Beverage and Food Europe (SBFE) has set out its plan to move to 100% sustainable plastic bottles within a decade, fully moving away from virgin plastic derived from fossil fuels, which is the Suntory Group’s global ambition. By 2030, the company that makes some of Ireland’s best loved drinks, including Lucozade Energy, Lucozade Sport and Ribena, will aim to use plastic that has been previously used or biosourced (plant-based) to reach its 100% sustainable plastic packaging target. Embracing existing mechanical recycling processes and investment in new, innovative technologies like enzymatic recycling and Japanese Flake to Preform processing will be crucial for helping the company to make the change. By accelerating its existing efforts, and through supporting current waste collection systems across Ireland, the company will initially use 50% sustainable plastic packaging (rpet) across primary packaging by 2025. “It is our founding promise to coexist with people and nature,” stressed Peter Harding, CEO, Suntory Beverage and Food Europe. “Plastic waste is not acceptable and we are investing

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42|Retail News|October 2019|www.retailnews.ie

Retail Ireland: Monthly Update RETAIL IRELAND TO HOST EUROCOMMERCE BOARD MEETING ON October 1 and 2, Retail Ireland had the pleasure of hosting the Executive Board of EuroCommerce in Dublin. This is the first time in over 10 years that the EuroCommerce Board hosted meetings in Ireland. The Board of EuroCommerce is the decision-making body of the European retail and wholesale trade association and comprises representatives of the retail industry drawn from Europe’s 28 Member States, Minister for European along with a small number of Affairs, Helen McEntee large company members. TD. The hosting of EuroCommerce at this time is not insignificant nor is it a coincidence. Our European partners are acutely aware of the adverse effects that Brexit will have on the Irish economy and the retail and wholesale sector in particular. To host this delegation and to have Minister for European Affairs, Helen McEntee TD, address

the Board, was a rare opportunity for the Irish retail and wholesale sector to underline with our European colleagues the unique situation that Ireland finds itself in. Brexit will have a disproportionate impact on the Irish retail and wholesale sector. This is largely due to the highly integrated retail supply chains that have developed between Ireland and the United Kingdom over the past 20 years. Uncoupling these will be extremely onerous on business; if there is not sufficient detail on customs checks and logistical processes at Irish ports and border crossings, this will cause significant delays to fresh produce reaching consumers. This is a challenge that no one in the sector wants and we in Retail Ireland welcomed the opportunity to convey this to Minister McEntee along with our colleagues in EuroCommerce. As part of hosting the EuroCommerce Board, Retail Ireland organised some off-site tours of retail outlets in key sectors to showcase the diversity and range of the Irish retail sector. While Brexit is at the forefront of everyone’s minds, there is also a good news story to tell about how Irish retail has rapidly developed and adapted to changing consumer trends in the areas of convenience and sustainability. The Irish retail sector is highly dynamic and innovative, and this visit provided an opportunity to showcase that to a wider audience.

Retail Apprenticeship will be a ‘Game Changer’ SEPTEMBER saw the launch of Retail Ireland’s apprenticeship in retail supervision. It’s aimed at those working as supervisors in any sector of the retail industry and it’s designed to help them upskill and gain a professional qualification at Level 6 in the NFQ (National Framework of Qualifications). It’s also part of the drive by Retail Ireland to develop better-defined career paths in the industry and to address the traditionally high rate of staff turnover in the sector. Historically, the retail industry has found it a challenging to communicate the available pathways to those employed in the sector or considering it as a career choice, and as a result it has paid the price in terms of the loss of experience and the time and money associated with rehiring due to turnover. This apprenticeship is one of the industry-wide initiatives aimed at addressing those concerns. The apprenticeship is a two-year, part-time course and it is a big step forward for the sector. Those who complete the apprenticeship successfully can then skip the first year of the retail management degree course and, within four years, can have an apprenticeship, a degree and a lot of retail experience under their belt. The apprenticeship is an entry-level management course and Retail Ireland will be launching it in Dublin and Galway, with other regions to follow. The first intake will comprise 120 students and there has been strong interest in the scheme from both large and small employers, with only very few places left

in the Galway centre. There is no cost to either side, apart from the fact that the employer has to release the apprentice for 26 days in year one and 23 days in year two to attend the course. However, as much of the course material as possible has been placed online in order to minimise travel and time away from the store. This course of study was developed in close collaboration with key industry leaders to ensure that the apprenticeship programme was tailor-made for the needs of the retail sector, ensuring that retail can be a career beginning on the shop floor, that with the right training and development, could end in the CEO’s office. For further information see www.retailirelandskillnet.com/ or call us on (074) 9176853.

Tel: 01-6051558 www.retailireland.ie Need more? For more information about what we do and how your retail business can benefit from our unique services and supports, please visit us at www.retailireland.ie.

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Pet Food

Cat Club Celebrates 20th Birthday!

MACKLE Petfoods, the makers of Brandy and Naturo dog food, are excited to celebrate 20 years of their popular cat food brand, Cat Club. The success of Cat Club over the past 20 years is testament to yet another quality product from a local, family owned company whose philosophy is to put pets first.

On-Pack Promotion Cat Club are running an exciting onpack promotional offer across their six-pack range throughout the coming months. Shoppers simply collect three tokens from promotional packs to claim a free Cat Club Cat Collar. 20 Birthday hampers are also up for grabs as part of Cat Club’s celebrations; visit www.catclub20.com for further information. Cat Club continues to perform well in a challenging and competitive market and is proud to be the number one Irish made cat food brand. Growth is primarily driven by Cat Club’s promotional variety three-packs: • •

Cat Club Variety Chunks in Jelly PM €2; Cat Club Variety Chunks in Gravy PM €2.

These packs are perfect for the convenience trade, offering the retailer

strong margins. Cat Club is also available in packs of six and 12 for customers who prefer to purchase in bulk. Fully Traceable Made with the finest quality Irish meat, Cat Club is fully traceable from farm to can. Cat owners see their cat as not just a pet, but as an important member of the family and they want to feed them only the best. However, our feline friends can be fussy creatures and cat lovers know that palatability and quality is vital. Value for money is also important for many pet owners across Ireland. Cat Club’s natural, meaty chunks in appetising jelly or gravy have all the nourishment and essential vitamins and minerals to ensure all round good health and lively energy, so consumers know they are feeding their cats a tasty, nutritious meal they’ll love.

“Cats love their Cat Club”

b Collect 3 tokens from Cat Clu avy Gr in Chunks in Jelly and Chunks im your promotional 6 packs and cla

www.catclub20.com

catclubcatfood

Offer ends 31.01.20

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23/09/2019 12:34

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Drinks News Diageo Named as Top Global Company for Gender Equality DIAGEO has been ranked as the number one business globally for gender equality in the Equileap 2019 Global Gender Equality Report and Ranking, an in-depth, crosssector analysis of gender equality in 3,519 companies in 23 developed economies, representing 98m employees. Equileap ranks businesses based on 19 gender equality criteria, including gender balance across the workforce, the gender pay gap, paid parental leave and anti-sexual harassment policies. The ranking is evidence of the progress Diageo has made to champion diversity and inclusion both within the business and beyond. Diageo has done huge work to achieve gender balance at the most senior levels of the organisation. Currently 44% of Diageo’s Board are women, and the company is working towards a senior leadership team of 40% women by 2025. Diageo’s global parental leave policy offers female employees in all markets a minimum of 26 weeks of fully paid maternity leave, while Diageo has also set a global minimum standard of four weeks’ paternity leave on full rate of pay in all markets, with a significant number of Diageo’s businesses moving to 26 weeks fully paid paternity leave, including Ireland. “I am proud of our work to drive an inclusive culture and diverse employee base at Diageo,” noted Ivan Menezes, Chief Executive of Diageo. “Our aim is to create a culture that ensures all our people thrive, as well as shaping market-leading policies and practices. But there is much more to do and we are committed to championing diversity, to make Diageo stronger and to have a positive impact on society.”

Jameson Distillery Sets Off on World Tour IRISH Distillers’ award-winning Bow St Experience is going on tour. Jameson has created a replica of its flagship experience and shipped it to Lisbon, bringing the home of the brand to the Portuguese capital. Throughout September at Lisbon’s creative urban district - LX Factory - visitors to the pop-up experienced the history, heritage, production process and taste of Jameson on the definitive tour, guided by Jameson’s world-renowned brand ambassadors. In addition, the surrounding Jameson Village offered a range of interactive, fun and engaging experiences and live entertainment; including bartender masterclasses, a tattoo studio and a barber shop for tourists and visitors to enjoy. “Innovation is central to everything we do at Irish Distillers, so we are thrilled to bring our home on tour, using shipping containers to transport and house our Bow St Experience around the globe,” noted Simon Fay, Business Acceleration Director at Irish Distillers.

Heineken Launches Rugby World Cup Campaign

HEINEKEN Ireland has launched a through-the-line campaign to 5,890 miles away. amplify its worldwide partnership Still a home game. with the biggest rugby tournament in the world, Rugby World Cup Japan, 2019. The campaign, which features a new TV commercial starring a number of international rugby legends, including former Irish captain, Keith Wood, celebrates the social side of rugby and showcases Heineken's long-standing heritage and proud association with rugby. The TV commercial celebrates the broad appeal of Rugby World Cup and that you do not need to ‘understand it all to enjoy it all’. The comprehensive campaign, which includes TV, OOH, digital, social, on and off trade activity, PR and advocacy marketing, runs for the duration of the tournament and ends on November 3. The Rugby World Cup 2019 logo TM © Rugby World Cup Limited 2015. All rights reserved.

Irishman Makes Scorsese an Offer He Can’t Refuse!

GREAT excitement has built worldwide in anticipation of the brand new Martin Scorsese movie, The Irishman, which premiered at the New York Film Festival on September 27. The movie stars a legendary cast led by Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel. However, one Irishman sees the film’s release quite differently. Irish whiskey producer Bernard Walsh has been producing The Irishman whiskey since 2007, sharing not just the name but the same logo as the film. Instead of disputing the commercial rights to his brand with the famous director and Netflix, however, Walsh wrote to Scorsese to make him an offer he surely can’t refuse, sealed in a wooden casket! The casket contains a letter offering an ample supply of The Irishman whiskey for all of the movie’s premieres, free of charge, and a personalised bottle of the critically acclaimed whiskey, The Irishman Cask Strength. As a mark of respect, Walsh has also sent 30 personalised bottles of this rare, triple-distilled, 54% ABV whiskey (valued at €130 a bottle) for senior members of the cast and production crew, including De Niro, Pacino, Pesci and Keitel.

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Drinks News Wine Consumption Decreases by 2% in 2018 TOTAL Irish wine consumption decreased by 2% in 2018 compared to the previous year, while per capita wine consumption decreased by 3.6%, which reflects the general trend of declining alcohol consumption in Ireland, according to the latest Irish Wine Market Report from Drinks Ireland – Wine (formerly the Irish Wine Association). Elsewhere, the report shows that wine remains Ireland’s second most popular beverage with a 27% market share in the alcohol drinks market, and that the wine sector makes a significant contribution to the economy, supporting direct employment and thousands of other jobs in Ireland’s 13,000 restaurants, independent off licences, supermarkets and hotels where wine is sold. In 2018, the sector paid €376m to the Exchequer, with the report noting that over the past decade, wine excise has generated over €3.5 billion for the Government. The report compared red, white and rosé wine sales and found that red wine consumption increased by 1% between 2017 and 2018, accounting for 46% of the total. White wine consumption decreased by 1% to 49%, while rosé consumption remained the same at 5%. Sparkling wine sales decreased from 2.7% to 2.4% between 2017 and 2018. The Irish Wine Market Report also looked at the performance of wine by country of production. For the sixth consecutive year, Chilean wine remains the nation’s favourite, followed by Australian. Our third, fourth and fifth favourites are Spanish, French and Italian respectively.

Minister Creed Meets with Brewers in Cork MINISTER for Agriculture, Food & the Marine, Michael Creed TD, recently met representatives from Drinks Ireland - Beer at its council meeting at the Heineken Brewery in Cork to discuss a range of issues facing Ireland’s brewing sector, including excise rates, Brexit and the future of Ireland's tillage sector. Pictured here are (l-r): Jonathan McDade, Head of Drinks Ireland – Beer; Maarten Schuurman, CEO of Heineken Ireland; Minister Michael Creed TD; Patricia Callan, Director of Drinks Ireland; and Peter Mosley, Chair of Drinks Ireland - Beer and MD of the Porterhouse Brewery.

Good news for off licence owners came with the news that the performance of off trade wine sales has gained further ground on the on trade between 2017 and 2018, with the off trade accounting for 82% of the total market, up from 80% in 2017. The industry has called on the Government to decrease excise on wine. Jim Bradley, Chair of Drinks Ireland - Wine and Chairman of wine distributor Febvre Wines, said, “The industry faces significant challenges, including excise on wine, which is the highest in the EU. For wine, Irish consumers pay €3.19 per standard bottle. Looking at a €9 bottle of wine, 54% is tax. Furthermore, sparkling wine gets an additional excise hit, totalling to €6.37 on a standard bottle. Effectively, this is a tax on celebrations. We would call on the Government to decrease excise on wine in the next Budget.”

Writers’ Tears Turns Japanese WALSH Whiskey has released Writers’ Tears Copper Pot Japanese Cask Finish Irish Whiskey in time for the Rugby World Cup in Japan. The new and very limited expression of the celebrated superpremium whiskey is a unique marriage of two premium Irish whiskeys, Single Malt and Single Pot Still, finished to a cask strength ABV of 55%. It was first aged in American oak Bourbon barrels, before being finished for nine months in two extremely rare Japanese Mizunara oak barrels, which are known for complex notes of sandalwood, coconut, spice and Japanese incense.

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Forecourt Focus

Circle K Opens New M6 Service Station at Athlone The opening of Circle K’s latest service station on the M6 at Athlone will create over 30 new jobs, as it caters for up to 20,000 motorists daily. CIRCLE K has opened the newest motorway services area in its nationwide network, located on the M6 motorway between Junctions 7 and 8 in Athlone, Co. Westmeath, creating over 30 new jobs in the locality. The official opening celebration, attended by Circle K senior management, local political dignitaries and a host of new customers, took place with a wide range of special offers available in-store. The opening of Circle K M6 Athlone marks a significant addition to the Circle K network of service stations. Strategically located on the M6 Dublin/ Galway Road, it is expected that the new state-of-the-art site will cater for up to 20,000 motorists daily. €35m Investment in New Sites The opening of Circle K M6 Athlone is part of an overall investment of €35m, announced by Circle K last year, into the development of four new sites. In the past year, Circle K has unveiled new sites on the N7 at Kill North, Co. Kildare, and on the M11 at Gorey, Co. Wexford, with a further new site set to be opened on the M9 at Kilcullen, Co. Kildare. Circle K M6 Athlone offers a wide range of superb products and services including Circle K’s miles and milesPlus advanced premium fuels, dedicated pumps for AdBlue and Gasoil customers, and fast-charge points for electric vehicles. Circle K’s high-quality fresh deli food range is also available in the new forecourt store. This includes gourmet

Team Ireland boxer and local resident, Grainne Walsh (centre) is pictured with staff and the development team of Circle K M6 Athlone. sandwiches, pizza and carvery dinners, a fully serviced barista serving Circle K’s own Simply Great Coffee, a wide selection of pastries, as well as its signature flavour range of Froster frozen soft drinks, and soft serve ice-cream. A McDonalds restaurant will also be on site. The Athlone site, which will be open 24 hours daily, also features a seated café area, a WC, changing and showering facilities, Wi-Fi, a Fáilte Ireland tourist information point, and extensive parking for customers, including truck and coach spaces.

The Half-Way Point Between East and West “We are delighted to be opening our newest service station at Circle K M6 Athlone today, and look forward to catering to the needs of the thousands of motorists that use the M6 daily,” noted Gordon Lawlor, Managing Director of Circle K Ireland, at the official opening. “At Circle K, we always strive to make our customers’ lives a little easier, by delivering the very best customer service. This new site epitomises this, as it will deliver a range of essential and high-quality services 24/7 and is

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Forecourt Focus

Circle K’s latest opening on the M6 is part of an overall investment of €35m by the company into the development of four new sites this newest addition to FACT FILE: the Circle K network, Owners: Circle K we are also delighted to deliver employment to the Location: M6 Motorway, Athlone local area, which further No. of Staff: 30 full time & part time reinforces our ongoing Opening Hours: 24/7, seven days commitment to investment in local communities, as well as job creation are significant additions to Ireland’s nationwide, with almost half transport network.” of our total workforce being Circle K Ireland, part of the global based outside of Dublin.” fuel and convenience store brand Circle K, now has 410 service stations A Momentous Year across the island of Ireland, employing Lawlor described 2019 as upwards of 2,200 staff. Of these stations, “a momentous year” for 160 are owned by Circle K and 250 are Circle K: “In February, we owned by independent retail partners. opened the largest site The company also operates a large in the Circle K network in commercial fuels business, with over 20 Gorey, Co. Wexford, and will depots and two owned terminals across soon open another state-ofthe country. the-art motorway services For more information on Circle K M6 area on the M9 at Kilcullen Team Ireland boxer Grainne Walsh, pictured at Athlone, visit www.circlek.ie. in Co. Kildare, both of which Circke K M6, Athlone. strategically located at Athlone, the halfway point between east and west on the M6.” The recently appointed MD went on to highlight the fact that the M6 store opening will deliver more than 30 jobs to the Athlone area: “With

48|Retail News|October 2019|www.retailnews.ie

Supply Chain

ECR Summit Looks to the Future for Supply Chains The recent ECR Ireland Supply Chain and Product Availability Summit examined the challenges and opportunities facing supply chains in the months and years ahead. THE recent ECR Ireland Supply Chain and Product Availability Summit took place in the Carlton Hotel, Dublin Airport, with the theme, ‘CHOPS: Challenges and Opportunities facing the Irish Supply Chain sector’. The annual summit is a major supply chain event for the grocery and

consumer sector in Ireland. This year’s event acknowledged that with the arrival of omni-channel retail, supply chains have become vastly complex systems. Despite the availability of technology and the results of significant research, the reality is that the supply chain can still be difficult to assess, with fragmented

John Mee, Supply Chain Manager and Business Analytics Manager with Glanbia, and Paul Pierotti, Head of Applied Intelligence with Accenture Ireland.

touch points and multiple routes to market. Too often, the summit heard, the supply chain is still seen by business a massive cash sink, and rather than focusing on adding value to the process, there have been too many instances of a race to the bottom when it comes to

Ray Peelo, Supply Chain Optimisation Manager with Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland; and Denis Hoctor, Director, STL Logistics.

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Supply Chain

Chris Busby, Head of Demand and Supply Planning, Britvic; Owen McFeely, Director, PwC; Daire McIvor, Consulting Manager, PwC. assessing the impact of the supply chain on profits. The issue of Brexit, deal or no deal, was discussed in some detail on the day. Regardless of how Britain leaves the EU, the huge number of Irish supply chains that interact with Britain or Northern Ireland will be dramatically affected. The legislation affecting what will happen after Brexit will not be decided by businesses but they will be the ones dealing with the practical implications: the supply chain will need to be robust enough and adaptable enough to deal with changes. According to Declan Carolan, Chair of ECR Ireland and Co-chair of the ECR Community, who opened the conference, too many Irish companies are judging the success of their supply chain with ontime and in full metric measurements. However, the real end of the supply chain is the shelf, not the stock room. On-Shelf Availability (OSA) and Online Availability (OLA) figures are not often enough used as the yardstick, and given the fact that a lost sale due to OSA is exactly the type of problem an efficient supply chain can solve, those are the metrics that should be used.

Traceability Tim Daly, Industry Engagement Manager with GS1 Ireland, spoke about developments in customer demands for trusted product information. Consumer desire to be able to identify what is in the products they consume and the traceability of ingredients means it is extremely important to identify all aspects of your product DNA. The humble barcode can now contain far more information than it used to, but the latest developments from GS1 have grown in concept to develop an open and linked data structure. Developments in ETrace technology are allowing GS1, led by business

needs, to develop the GS1 Digital Link Package, a new, deeper solution to tracking and identifying the full DNA of a product. The logistics implications of Brexit will be tremendous on the island of Ireland. Should there be a no deal Brexit, technology will play a vital role in allowing any kind of ‘frictionless’ border to be created between north and south and the systems developed for industry by GS1 will likely play a huge role in allowing goods to keep moving. The Ultimate Product DNA Package Jim Dickenson, Head of Retail with GS1 UK, and Leanne Cooper, Customer Supply Chain Manager with Nestlé UK, shared a fascinating case study on how Nestlé and GS1 UK have been working in partnership to create the ultimate product DNA package for all of Nestlé’s products in the UK. “Not only do we need to be very conscious of correctly identifying and tracing everything that can be in a product because of consumer trends, in the UK we have Natasha’s law,” Dickenson noted. “The law requires producers to protect the consumer through entirely accurate reporting of all contents. The law was created following the tragic death of a young woman who ate a meal with ingredients to which she was allergic but which were not mentioned on the packaging.”

Noel McEneaney, National Field Sales & GTM Manager, Pepsico; James Marshall, Supply Chain Manager, Nestlé Ireland; Leanne Cooper, Customer Supply Chain Manager, Nestlé UK; and Jim Brennan, Supply Chain Manager, Pepsico.

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Supply Chain systems and is designed with the needs of industry in mind. Anyone interested in learning more about it should contact GS1 Ireland.”

Chris Hill, Head of Food with Foodcloud. He explained how the system created by GS1 ticked all the boxes: “We needed a standard data model, a product catalogue easily updated with complete information and an independent verification process, to confirm that all information about the product is accurate when compared to a random sample. The resulting system is robust, transparent and entirely trustworthy.” According to Cooper, “Nestlé UK has a huge number of product lines across FMCG. Managing the supply chain is a big undertaking and we wanted to work closely with GS1 on this project to create a system that would give us richer and more accurate data and that was easy to use. We implemented the switch to the product DNA with GS1 after a lot of planning and hard work. What it has meant for Nestlé UK is that the systems in place are all uniform now. The challenge of tying disparate pieces of data from a vast number of sources of varying accuracy has been replaced by an easily updated and easy to use system that is allowing Nestlé UK to present our products to the public with information that is entirely trustworthy.” Mike Byrne, CEO, GS1 Ireland, explained that the development brings huge scope for Irish companies: “The product DNA system is live and we have the capability in Ireland to implement it. This is a very flexible system that integrates extremely well with other

The Data Challenge Trust was one of the major themes of the day, particularly using the supply chain to increase trust in products among consumers. Paul Pierotti, Head of Applied Intelligence with Accenture Ireland, and John Mee, Supply Chain Manager and Business Analytics Manager with Glanbia, have been busy looking at the challenges and opportunities presented by data and analytics. “The supply chain can be a vastly complex process, with huge volumes of data that can be collected at various points in the process. But how do you capture the right data at the right time and what do you do with it once you have it?” asked Pierotti. “The data itself needs to be processed in some way if you want to derive real value and make suggestions of what to do next, rather than just knowing what happened in the past.” Mee explained that Glanbia have spent a lot of investment developing their business analytics capabilities: “We are using data mining and data analytics to lead our business analytics. It has not been an easy process but it has been an extremely worthwhile one. Systems that allow us to capture a large volume of accurate data from a variety of data points in real time, and pick out the most valuable pieces of data, have been developed using the principles of the five Vs of data: Volume, Velocity, Variety, Veracity and Value. It’s only when the systems have been put in place to manage data, and capture and process that data in a way that is useful to the business, that the return on investment can be realised, but when you do that the returns are significant.” Product Availability Ray Peelo, Supply Chain Optimisation Manager with Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland (MRPI), raised the issue of product availability. MRPI is a huge organisation, which offers a bewildering array of products to its customers. But like any

other organisation, the product must be available to the consumer at the moment they want it, in the manner they want to obtain it. On-Shelf Availability (OSA) and Online Availability (OLA) are the real metrics by which to measure the success of the supply chain, Peelo noted. It is the customer experience in the end that will define their future interactions with your brand and the ultimate objective of the supply chain is to enable your business to function to the best possible standards. Minimising Waste Chris Hill, Head of Food with Foodcloud, spoke about the other end of the supply chain and about creative solutions to minimise waste. Solutions like Foodcloud not only provide solutions to FMCG companies around waste management, but due to the ease with which consumers can learn about the actions of the brands they support, they can also bring a huge amount of goodwill to the brand. The theme of challenges and opportunities was very fitting for the ECR Summit. There are immediate and significant challenges facing the Irish supply chain sector in the coming months and years and the path to best practice lies with creative ideas and investment, rather than any sort of race to the bottom.

Denise Geraghty, Customer Services Manager, Mars Ireland; and John Mee, Supply Chain Manager and Business Analytics Manager, Glanbia.

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What's New CLONAKILTY LAUNCHES VEGGIE PUDDING

BAMBOOTH BIODEGRADABLE TOOTHBRUSH

CLONAKILTY Food Co, makers of the awardwinning Clonakilty Blackpudding and Clonakilty Whitepudding, has launched a third product to its famous pudding range, a new vegetable pudding. Clonakilty Veggie Pudding contains the characteristic texture and spicy aroma associated with the celebrated range but in a vegetable only alternative. Clonakilty Veggie Pudding is made with oats, onions, black beans, carrots and a distinctive spice mix. The product is free from artificial additives and preservatives, gluten-free and suitable for Vegans. It is also a source of protein and fibre.

A MEATH couple, Niamh McGill and Joe Finnegan, have launched bambooth, a biodegradable toothbrush that’s panda-friendly.. bambooth is a sustainable alternative to a manual plastic toothbrush. The bambooth toothbrush has a 100% biodegradable handle with BPA-free nylon bristles. The toothbrush is made from Panda-friendly moso bamboo which is a renewable natural material and is biodegradable. 10c per bambooth brush is donated to four conservation efforts linked to habitat protection. See bambooth.com for more information.

SPICE BURGER TEAMS UP WITH TV PRESENTER SPICE Burger is teaming up with radio and TV presenter and mum of two, Jennifer Zamparelli, to inspire parents to experience the legendary taste at home, by creating a delicious Spice Burger meal that everyone will enjoy. Traditionally associated with chip shops, families can now also experience the same delicious taste right at their kitchen table. Loved by generations, Spice Burger is launching a brand new look and feel, including fresh new packaging. “Growing up in Dublin, Spice Burger really was a part of the city’s heritage. We loved popping down to our local chipper to get a Spice Burger for dinner,” said Jennifer Zamparelli. “I’m delighted to hear we can now make them at home for our families too, with the exact same delicious taste!”

CALI CALI LAUNCHES WITH POP-UP EXPERIENCE TOM Gannon and Niall McGrath, the guys behind the hugely successful Fulfil brand, are back with a new guilt free real food snack brand. Co-founding with celebrity chef, Donal Skehan (pictured), Gannon & McGrath launched Cali Cali to market with a unique popup experience on Dublin’s Grafton Street in September. Cali Cali is a guilt free real food snacking brand that prioritises mixing California flavours and Californian health benefits, offering flavourful sauces and a healthy crisp range. For more information, visit www.calicalifoods.com

CONTINUED SUCCESS FOR CARBERY GROUP CARBERY Group has scooped 11 honours at the 2019 Global Cheese Awards, including three gold, three silver and five bronze medals. Carbery took home Gold Awards for Dubliner 3 Cheese Grated Blend (pictured), Carbery Cracker and Carbery Extra Mature Cheddar, while the silver awards went to Dubliner Lighter White, Carbery Lactose Free and its Half Fat cheese. The five Bronze Awards went to Carbery Smoke House, Dubliner Lighter White, Carbery Cracker, Carbery Mature Irish Cheddar and its Reduced Fat cheese.

GRENADE EXTENDS GO NUTS RANGE LEADING sports and nutrition brand, Grenade, has expanded its Go Nuts range, with a flavour that will leave consumers’ mouths watering. Go Nuts Peri Peri is packed with 11g of plant-based protein and a delicious Peri Peri buzz, with just 1.9g of sugar per bar, and is 100% vegan. “Who said healthy snacking has to be boring?” asks Grenade’s CEO and founder, Alan Barrett.

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Shelf Life TESCO Ireland is now stocking a range of novelty pumpkins and gourds, with the unique and limited range landing in 100 stores nationwide, ahead of Halloween 2019. The decorative miniature gourds retail from just €1 and are grown by local grower Denise Buckley on Lispopple Farm, Swords, Co. Dublin. Denise uses an assortment of seeds sourced from US farms to create the unique and unusual varieties. These quirky crops bring the most colourful season to life, in rich harvest colours of soft ambers, fiery reds, burnt orange, creams, greens and more. LILY O’Brien’s won the first ever Best Content Marketing Award - International at the Irish Content Marketing Awards. Lily O’Brien’s and Core Media scooped the win for their distinctive and compelling Share Wisely campaign within the UK market. The campaign explores the dilemma between sharing and keeping, when it comes to something like chocolate. The creative platform playfully showcases the fact that while there are some things we’re happy to share, there are others we should maybe keep to ourselves! Pictured are Jenny Dillon, Core Media; Evelyn McLoughlin, Lily O’Brien’s; Rachel Ryan, Core Media; and Michelle Molloy, Lily O’Brien’s. CELEBRATIONS were underway in the Cork village of Inishannon recently after the Centra store in the village sold a €5.5m winning Lotto ticket. Store owner Barry O’Sullivan (centre left) is pictured with Martin Manley, National Lottery, and staff from left: Renat Swiatek, Monika Twomey, Sylwia Ardron, Barry O’Sullivan, Agniesjka Wrzeszcz, Leona McCarthy, Ber Shiels, Donna Madden and Stacey Madden. SUPERVALU expects to sell over 100,000 Irish pumpkins this Halloween, helping families celebrate a spooky Halloween! For the first time, ‘Casper’ and ‘Snowball’ White Pumpkins will be available in SuperValu. The Ghost Pumpkins are expertly grown by Julian Hughes of Hughes Farm, Barronsknock in Co. Kilkenny. Martin Kelleher, Managing Director, SuperValu, said, “Demand continues to grow for this Halloween staple and we are delighted to be able to provide SuperValu customers with the quality and value they expect once again this Halloween.” Lily O’Connor is pictured with some of the SuperValu pumpkins.

HOME Grounds, from Java Republic, answers the growing demand for quality food and beverages in forecourts, convenience and retail outlets specifically. Designed to address the unique business challenges of the hot beverage convenience sector, Home Grounds is designed to give business owners full visibility and transparency on coffee projects and margins, supported by an open and honest business model, delivering maximum ROI on hot beverages. In addition to guaranteeing the very highest in quality coffee standards, Home Grounds uses 100% Arabica coffee beans – ethically sourced and sustainably roasted in Ireland. MINISTER for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD, visited the Foxpak Flexibles Ltd stand during International Markets Week 2019 at the RDS to see their range of sustainable and compostable packaging. Pictured at the event are (l-r): Marta Siruckova, Enterprise Ireland, Czech Republic Office; Paul Young, CEO, Foxpak Flexibles Ltd; Minister Heather Humphreys TD, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation; Michael Campion, Development Advisor, Enterprise Ireland; Samantha Murphy, Marketing Manager, Foxpak Flexibles Ltd; Julie Sinnamon, CEO, Enterprise Ireland; Terence O’Rourke, Chairman, Enterprise Ireland; and Ladislav Muller, Manager, Enterprise Ireland Central Europe. VISITORS to the 2019 National Ploughing Championships in Ballintrane, Fenagh, Co. Carlow, were able to meet Olympic silver medal rowing champions Paul and Gary O’Donovan at the FBD Insurance stand. In addition to being one of the main sponsors of the National Ploughing Championships, FBD Insurance is also a proud sponsor of Team Ireland on their journey to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Olympic Silver Medallist and World Champion, Gary O’Donovan said: “Paul and I have been Brand Ambassadors for FBD Insurance since 2016 and we’re delighted to be attending the National Ploughing championships with them this year. It is great to see Irish companies like FBD Insurance play a role in supporting athletes as they work towards their 2020 Olympic dream and we look forward to working closely with them as we have done for the last few years.” ONE of Ireland’s leading communications agencies, Drury Porter Novelli have launched Amplify@Drury PN, an enhanced consumer and digital offering with a strengthened team and significantly extended service offering. The brand refresh reflects the current areas of expertise, which include brand story-telling and amplification both on and offline, creative and digital brand communications, strategic consumer PR, brand purpose, experiential, influencer outreach, digital strategy, content production, social media strategy and execution, and social listening. Pictured are (l-r): Breena Cooper, Creative Director; Nicky Crichton, Brand Communications Lead; and Rachel Gallagher, Digital Strategy Lead.

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